With their 16-13 defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs dynasty â a six-year run when they got to the Super Bowl five times and won three â appears to have come crashing down.
With the defeat, the Chiefs were eliminated from playoff contention with three weeks remaining in the regular season â the first time they will miss the postseason since 2014. In that year, Kansas City was also eliminated with three games remaining, but the season at that time was 16 games long instead of the current 17, meaning their elimination came following Week 14.
This year, the Chiefs lasted through Week 15. In 2014, the second year with current head coach Andy Reid at the helm, the team finished at 9-7. But this time around, they must win all three of their remaining games â against the Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos, and Las Vegas Raiders â to finish with a winning record.
But 2014 was also the second year in the career of Chiefs’ future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce, who now faces a decision at age 36 as to whether to play another season. Whether he comes back or not, however, an analysis of how the Chiefs can restore their team to dominance in 2026 published on Monday says that the time has likely come to replace the 13-year veteran, four-time All-Pro first-teamer on the Kansas City roster.
Kelce Entering ‘New Phase of Life’
For the past eight seasons, including the current one, Kelce has been paired with quarterback Patrick Mahomes, another future Hall of Famer, in perhaps the most dangerous QB-tight end duo in the NFL. But Mahomes suffered a season-ending knee injury on Sunday, underwent surgery Monday and his availability and effectiveness for the 2026 season is now very much in doubt.
Even with Mahomes, the Chiefs obviously were not good enough to be a playoff team this year and a salary cap crunch â the Chiefs need to shed $34 million in payroll to get under the cap â will make a quick rebuild difficult.
So where does that leave Kelce, who will be a free agent once the season ends?
“These are the facts: Heâd be 37 next season, his contract is about to expire, heâs set to marry pop superstar Taylor Swift and enter into a new phase of life,” wrote USA Today NFL analyst Nate Davis.
With Kelce’s advanced age, in football terms, and uncertain priorities, Davis urged the Chiefs to acquire a replacement for Kelce â and he has a specific player in mind.
Falcons 1st-Round Pick TE Will be Available
“Even if Kelce and the team decide they want to make one more Lombardi run together in 2026, the returns from a fading star had already begun diminishing,” wrote Davis, who also said, “itâs time to lay the groundwork for a successor â particularly considering how reliant Mahomes has historically been on his tight end.”
Davis lists several names, but singles out one â Atlanta Falcons fourth-year tight end Kyle Pitts. The No. 4 overall draft pick in 2021, Pitts has caught 269 passes for 3,448 yards and 14 touchdowns in his career.
Kelce, as a fourth-round pick, was kept almost entirely on the bench in his rookie year. In his next four seasons, he caught 307 passes for 3,900 yards and 22 touchdowns.
According to the sports business site Spotrac, Pitts is projected to receive a four-year, $56.2 million contract in free agency. That would be an average of $14.1 million per season â a savings compared to the $17.25 million Kelce was due in his contract this year.
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