What Are the Chiefs Plans When Their Three-Time Super Bowl Champion TE Retires After the 2026 Season?
It can’t be overstated what Travis Kelce means to the Kansas City Chiefs. The seven-time All-Pro, who has been selected to 11 consecutive Pro Bowls, is on the Mount Rushmore of Chiefs football and is one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history. With seven-straight 1,000-yard seasons and with more postseason receptions than Jerry Rice, Kelce’s 13-year-long career has been one highlight reel after another, minus his 2013 rookie year, when he was out with an injured knee. After signing a three-year extension for $54 million, which is really a one-year contract worth $12 million guaranteed but with a lot of prorated-contract fluff, Kelce will be adding another season of receptions to his 13,002 yards. In all likelihood, 2026 will be the future Hall of Famers' last season in the NFL. The most prolific pass catcher in Chiefs’ history will leave a void impossible to fill; he’s an insurance policy Patrick Mahomes has never been without.
With Kelce’s retirement looming, Chiefs fans were thinking, if not hoping, Kansas City would select a tight end high in the 2026 draft. It was seen as a perfect scenario: a Kenyon Sadiq or an Eli Stowers spending a year under Kelce's wing, learning from one of the greatest of all time. Instead, the Chiefs selected four straight defensive prospects, obliterating the idea that they were going to use Kelce’s last season as a mentorship for a blue-chip tight end pick. With a tight end room that drops off to rotational pieces after Kelce, with Noah Grey, who’s second in line, having his worst season last year, the Chiefs are thin at the position. It is unlikely KC will do as poorly in 2026 as they did in 2025, so they, in all probability, won’t have draft picks as high as they did most recently. If Sadiq and Stowers turn out to be as great as their potential indicates, the opportunity missed will glow all the more golden. However, what’s past is past; what can KC do to give Mahomes a reliable pass catcher at the tight end position?
If the Chiefs had drafted a receiver high in 2026, the concern fans have for the tight end room wouldn’t be so acute. As it is, even though the rehiring of Eric Bieniemy and the hiring of receiver coach Chad O’Shea, a three-time Super Bowl Champion in New England, could vastly improve the receiving corps, it has yet to be seen in a game. Until that happens, fan concern for what Mahomes has available on the field will persist. Tight end by committee is the most likely option in the near future after Kelce retires, unless they draft a gem next year. Marquee names in free agency are available in 2027; Kyle Pitts and T.J. Hockenson are two of the most notable. Such high-end talent would run an average of around $13.5 million annually for either player. The retooling of Kansas City’s offense into a more run-heavy attack, in addition to the hiring of Bieniemy and O’Shea, may be enough for the franchise to work with in regard to its passing attack. If the Chiefs can establish a consistent run game that opposing defenses have to respect, Mahomes’ receiving weapons on the field will have more success. With the coming retirement of a legend, the void can already be felt, but there’s still one last season of Kelce Chiefs Kingdom can enjoy. So, maybe that should be the focus for fans, and everything else can wait.
