With Travis Kelce nearing the end of his legendary NFL career, the Kansas City Chiefs could add another tight end in the future.
The Kansas City Chiefs entered the offseason with a big question looming regarding the future of Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce.
Kelce put those concerns to bed as he signed a new deal, although it seems very likely that this marks the final year of his legendary NFL career.
The Chiefs then had the No. 9 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and some mock drafts had them taking Oregon star tight end Kenyon Sadiq as the eventual replacement for Kelce.
At some point, the Chiefs will have to find his replacement. On another note, ESPN had some hypothetical trade offer for some players, and one of them was a trade package for Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet.
The Chiefs were one of four teams with the hypothetical offers, and ESPN's Ben Solak had the Chiefs sending a 2027 third-round pick in exchange for Kmet and a 2027 fifth--round choice.
In a vacuum, the Bears trading Kmet seems like it would be a confusing decision, especially since Chicago won the NFC North and was the No. 2 seed in the conference last season with Ben Johnson turning things around quickly in Chicago.
ESPN also named the Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers as other options, but the Chiefs are going to have the biggest hole to fill at the tight end position once 2026 comes to an end.
And, here is why the move would make sense for the Chiefs.
"This is a strong offer, but Kansas City likely has the biggest tight end need in the league. Travis Kelce plays much more slot receiver than true tight end, while Noah Gray and Jared Wiley have not moved the needle behind him. As the Chiefs commit to a better rushing attack, they need skill position players who can block," Solak wrote.
Eric Bieniemy, who is back as the Chiefs offensive coordinator, was the running backs coach with the Bears in 2025, so he has knows Kmet a bit.
The Bears also selected Stanford tight end Sam Roush in the third round of the NFL Draft, so they might be preparing for life after Kmet in one way or another.
Courtney Cronin, ESPN's Bears reporter, wrote that she believes none of these hypothetical offers would get the job done for Chicago to move on from Kmet, at least not right now.
Could that chance next offseason? Maybe. Could that change if the Bears lose games to begin the year and they reassess at the deadline? That also is a possibility.
Nonetheless, the Chiefs have to think about how to address the tight end position once Kelce retires, and being able to groom the next TE could be a smart move for Kansas City.
