ClutchPoints
When you think of the Kansas City Chiefs, only a few names come to mind before Travis Kelce.
Sure, there are Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, but outside of that duo, Kelce has been the dude in Missouri since he was drafted in the third round out of Cincinnati back in 2013 and remains a quality contributor on a game-to-game basis even now, even if he’s no long a certified difference-maker at this stage of the game.
Eventually, Kelce will be a Chiefs Hall of Famer but should his on-field exit from the team come sooner than some fans expect? Could the Chiefs look at their books and decide that freeing up $17 million against the cap is worth more than Kelce’s on-field abilities in 2025?
In the opinion of ESPN’s Aaron Schatz, that very much may be the case, as he simply doesn’t see Kelce being worth the money he’s being paid anymore.
“This would be a very unpopular move, but Kelce’s contract is set up as an easy way for the Chiefs to gain cap space for 2025. According to Roster Management System, cutting Kelce would cost the Chiefs only $2.5 million in dead money while saving them over $17 million on the salary cap. That’s important with the Chiefs currently having negative effective cap space (i.e. the cap space that they would have after signing at least 51 players and a projected rookie class),” Schatz wrote.
“And while Kelce still had some important catches in the postseason, his regular-season performance collapsed in 2024. Kelce ranked 38th out of 49 qualifying tight ends in receiving DVOA, and he ranked dead last among tight ends in the ESPN receiver tracking metrics.”
If you removed the names from the backs of everyone’s jerseys and just looked at the stats, it’s really hard to argue with Schatz’s assessment, as the Chiefs didn’t get much out of Kelece in 2024 during the regular season, are in the red from a cap standpoint, and could probably find a new tight end, either via free agency or the draft, who could perform at a similar level for pennies on the dollar. Factor in clear needs on the offensive line exasperated by the Super Bowl, and the idea of getting maybe two “better” starters for Kelce’s money becomes incredibly attractive.
Now granted, Schatz is also correct that if Kelce were to leave the team via a release, the Chiefs would absolutely hear from the fans, both of their football team and of his very famous girlfriend, Taylor Swift. While some fans hate the spectacle NFL’s premier relationship brings to the sport, as it would occasionally outshine the teams on the field in terms of engagement, they are unquestionably popular, as outlets wouldn’t be running the content if people weren’t eating it up.
As crazy as it may sound, the Chiefs are probably hoping their future Hall of Fame tight end retires before the 2025 NFL calendar year, as it would make their decision easy. But...
