Getty

Tight end Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs may need to consider a viable replacement for Travis Kelce as early as next spring, as the superstar tight end is 36 years old and playing on the final year of his current contract.

Kelce didn’t waste much time confirming his intention to return to the NFL for his 13th season following the Chiefs’ disappointing loss in the Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles back in February. However, a prominent theme that created a through-line in Kelce’s comments on that decision was Kansas City’s three consecutive trips to the Super Bowl, which included championship rings following the 2023 and 2024 campaigns.

This year has been a different story, as the Chiefs are 6-6 and currently sitting at No. 10 in the AFC playoff picture. Should Kansas City lose in Week 14 to the Houston Texans, who field arguably the best defense in the league, the Chiefs’ chances to make the postseason will drop all the way to 12 percent.

Kelce has said he won’t seriously consider retirement until the season/postseason is complete, but Kansas City must prepare against the possibility that Kelce may be looking beyond football to opportunities involving the $100 million podcast he hosts with brother Jason Kelce, media opportunities and his engagement to global music icon Taylor Swift.

One possibility for the Chiefs is signing Isaiah Likely of the Baltimore Ravens, following that organization’s recent decision to extend Mark Andrews on a three-year deal worth $39.3 million, which keeps the three-time Pro Bowler under contract through the 2028 season with a club option on the final year.

Chiefs Can Offer Isaiah Likely Bigger Role Than Ravens in Travis Kelce’s Absence

GettyBaltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely.

Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports suggested Likely as Kelce’s replacement on Thursday, December 4.

Before this Andrews extension, it was logical to assume that Baltimore could let the 30-year-old explore the open market and ink Likely, 25, to an extension as the ascending top option at the position. This new pact with Andrews, however, throws a wrench into that line of thinking and begs the question of whether or not Likely is the one who could be on the outs.

If [Kelce] decides this time around to hang it up, Likely would be a great successor. Even if Kelce decides to stick around, it wouldn’t hurt to bring Likely in as the heir apparent. As we’ve seen over the years with Kelce, the tight end position is heavily featured in Kansas City’s offense. Likely’s athleticism and knack as a pass-catcher would be a fascinating addition for Patrick Mahomes, potentially injecting some much-needed burst into the offense overall.

Likely has made 126 catches for 1,484 receiving yards and 14 TDs across 58 games played (24 starts) in his professional career.

Chiefs More Incentivized Than Ravens to Pay Isaiah Likely Big Money if Travis Kelce Retires

GettyBaltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely.

The same sort of move makes sense for Baltimore with regards to Likely, as a strong TE2 and backup/heir apparent to Andrews. Not to mention, the Ravens have considerably more salary cap space with which to work than does Kansas City in 2026.

However, Likely is going to hit free agency in the spring as a former fourth-round pick. Baltimore could stop that from happening by using the franchise tag, but that would pay Likely vastly more than his market value next season.

If Kelce exits the Chiefs’ organization, the team will have considerably more incentive to ink a dynamic pass-catcher at the tight end position than the Ravens, which probably means more money for Likely. And as good life is playing with Lamar Jackson, it should be equally as profitable, if not more so, playing alongside Mahomes in Kansas City’s offense.

Spotrac projects Likely’s market value at $40.5 million total over a new four-year contract.

Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible

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