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With Travis Kelce flirting with retirement more each offseason, his career seems inevitably on its last legs. Though the Kansas City Chiefs already have a few young tight ends to succeed him, undrafted rookie Jake Briningstool might become the eventual answer.
Briningstool has stood out in spring practices and impressed the Chiefs’ coaching staff, according to NFL insider Albert Breer. While many teams are high on their young prospects, Breer noted the team’s history with tight ends, and how offensive talent who receive praise from its camp “generally become something.”
“There is an undrafted rookie in Kansas City, Jake Briningstool,” Breer said on the Ryen Russillo podcast. “They’ve been able to develop tight ends there. It’s not just Kelce; Noah Gray has become a really good player. I remember the way they were talking about Isiah Pacheco a couple years ago… When the Chiefs talk about some of these young offensive guys that they bring in, they generally become something.”
Briningstool spent all four collegiate years at Clemson and improved his numbers each year. He ended his run with 530 receiving yards and seven touchdowns as a senior. While possessing elite hands, his smaller frame and route-running concerns caused him to fall in the draft.
Bringinstool is fifth on the Chiefs’ tight end depth chart entering training camp. He trails veterans Kelce, Noah Gray, Robert Tonyan and Jared Wiley. The competition at the position makes it challenging for Briningstool to even make the 53-man roster, but Breer is confident that he is a name to monitor in the preseason.
Kelce, 35, leads the Chiefs’ tight end room, but not for long. The seven-time All-Pro is easily one of the greatest fight ends of all time, but is clearly at the tail end of his decorated career.
While he has remained durable, Kelce’s numbers have consistently gone down over the last two seasons. He has considered retirement in each of the last three offseasons, particularly since his highly publicized relationship with Taylor Swift became official. Kelce has not made his retirement thoughts a secret, but confirmed that he would return for at least one more year in 2025.
With his playing career potentially down to just 17 more games, Kelce is already setting himself up for a post-NFL life. Kelce has already begun cashing in on his energetic personality with his older brother, Jason Kelce, on their popular ‘New Heights’ podcast. Whether or not 2025 is his final season, Travis Kelce will not leave the spotlight anytime soon.
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