Chiefs Predicted to Make Major TE Move, Prepping for 'Life After Travis Kelce'

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Will superstar tight end Travis Kelce retire if the Kansas City Chiefs win their third straight Super Bowl this winter?

Travis Kelce has often told reporters that his plan is to keep playing football until the wheels fall off — but could the Kansas City Chiefs’ superstar tight end change his tune if KC wins their third straight Super Bowl in February? Especially now that he’s met his potential future wife in Taylor Swift.

Perhaps. Perhaps not. But while Kelce’s immediate future remains unclear, Athlon Sports draft analyst Luke Easterling predicted that the Chiefs would make another major move in securing his succession plan this April during a round one mock draft on December 5.

“It’s time for the Chiefs to start planning for life after Travis Kelce, who will turn 36 next October,” Easterling reasoned after sending Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr. to Kansas City as a first-round pick.

“One of the best kept secrets in this year’s class, Fannin is putting up ridiculous numbers this season,” the analyst explained, “and his athleticism and versatility would make him the ideal understudy for Kelce.” He concluded that “giving Patrick Mahomes another explosive weapon at tight end would be a huge win.”

Harold Fannin Jr. ‘Projects Best’ With a Creative NFL Play Caller — & Chiefs Have Andy Reid

When sifting through different scouting reports of Fannin, there’s a common theme, the Bowling Green pass-catcher profiles as a dream prospect for a creative offensive play caller. And it just so happens that the Chiefs have one of the best in the game in that regard — if not the best — in Andy Reid.

“Fannin Jr. is an offensive weapon who can provide a slew of layers into an offensive playbook,” The 33rd Team’s NFL Draft Lead Kyle Crabbs scouted in early November. “His natural receiving skills are evident when watching him catch targets and pluck the football with his hands.”

“What makes Fannin Jr. a potentially special player is all the other ways he can impact play design,” Crabbs continued. “He’s been given touches out of the backfield with success and lined up on the perimeter for screen game in addition to his traditional targets and even been given direct snaps.”

Similarly, Bleacher Report draft analyst Dame Parson described Fannin as a “highly functioning pass-catching tight end with alignment versatility.”

“Creative offensive play callers are best if you want to maximize his skill set to its fullest potential,” Parson noted. “He will be able to generate favorable matchups based on his alignment fluidity. In the right offensive system and role, he can be a top-3 receiving option at the next level.”

Like Parson, Crabbs agreed that Fannin “projects best into a personnel-diverse offense run by a creative play-caller.” He added that the youngster’s “versatility offers a doorway to positionally ambiguous football and many clever schemed touches and usage.”

Do Chiefs Already Have Travis Kelce’s Successors in Noah Gray & Jared Wiley?

The odd part about spending a first-round selection on Fannin is that the Chiefs have already invested in two tight ends behind Kelce.

Last April, Kansas City general manager Brett Veach spent a fourth rounder on Jared Wiley — an upside playmaker at the position with a 6-foot-6 frame. Wiley had the look of a draft steal throughout Organized Team Activities and parts of training camp but played third fiddle to Kelce and backup Noah Gray throughout the regular season.

Unfortunately, Wiley tore his ACL at practice on November 1, stalling his development and ending his rookie campaign.

Then there’s Gray, a former fifth-round selection and dual threat receiver/blocker who has become a staff favorite of Reid and company. The Chiefs elected to extend Gray on September 5, ahead of his walk year, offering him $18 million over three seasons.

The role player accepted gladly and has since rewarded KC with a career campaign that’s already produced 399 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns.

So, while it’s true that the Chiefs value a quality tight end more than the average NFL team, would they really utilize their 2025 first-round pick on the position when they already have Gray and Wiley waiting in the wings? And that’s if Kelce retires.

Kansas City is no stranger to bold moves — and this would be as bold as it comes — but a Fannin selection certainly feels unlikely if Kelce announces he’s returning in 2025.

Michael Obermuller covers the NFL and NHL for Heavy.com, where he began writing in 2021. His areas of focus include the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins, as well as the New York Rangers and New York Islanders. An NYC area native and Quinnipiac graduate, his previous bylines include FanDuel’s The Duel, King Fantasy Sports and Pro Football Mania. More about Michael Obermuller