Why getting rid of Travis Kelce would be the best thing the Chiefs could do
The Chiefs tight end comes off the back of a poor season and a shocking Super Bowl - would getting rid of him be the best thing the side could do?
Saying goodbye to Travis Kelce could be the most sensible thing the Kansas City Chiefs could do this offseason.
OK, hear me out. Don’t run away and whatever you do, do not tell the Swifties; they get where water cannot. While you may not agree with the following lines, debate is healthy and I’m not trying to convince you, I’m simply laying out the devil’s argument for all to see.
Indeed, cutting of Kelce’s bungee cords and watching him drop would be an unpopular move of biblical proportions, with the tight end a Chiefs hero and a true legend of the game in the States.
"The fact that [Travis Kelce] is already considering it leads me to believe that we're probably further along towards doing that than coming back." 😳
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 13, 2025
—@LRiddickESPN on if Chiefs TE Travis Kelce should retire from the NFL. pic.twitter.com/es7Yx64HCp
Huge savings could be made on ending Travis Kelce’s contract
But an average season topped off by a stinking Super Bowl certainly should make people question whether or not the huge salary package could be better spent elsewhere. Before you ask, according to Roster Management System, terminating Kelce’s current deal would only cost the Chiefs $2.5 million in dead money while saving them over $17 million on the salary cap.
Despite their recent success and attempt at creating a dynasty worthy of a three-peat, the Chiefs actually have negative effective cap space and need to make some room.
Just get rid of someone else, right?
You tell me who. But first, I’ll give you Kelce’s statistics for the season just gone: the veteran ranked 38th out of 49 qualifying tight ends in receiving DVOA, and he came dead last, in 158th place, among tight ends in ESPN’s receiver tracking metrics.
$120 million thrown into the garbage
So who do you get rid of in a double-Super Bowl winning team if not the dead last 35-year-old who has already hinted at retirement? Can Kelce even go again at the top level? Is his head in the game, where it needs to be to win another Super Bowl?
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