Free agent tight ends who could interest the Chiefs

Benjamin Watson

Maybe the third time will be the charm.

For the last two offseasons, the Kansas City Chiefs have supposedly been in the running for veteran tight end Benjamin Watson only to see him sign elsewhere each time.

In 2018, the Chiefs and Watson were reportedly “working on a deal,” per Ian Rapoport, only to see him suddenly sign with the New Orleans Saints instead. In 2019, the Chiefs were again mentioned as a potential destination but Watson went back to New England to spend another campaign with the Patriots. Watson came up short on postseason runs in both instances (assuming that’s what he’s hoping for).

Now that the Chiefs have shaken the monkey off of their collective backs and Patrick Mahomes has proven to be league’s best quarterback, Watson might want to extend his career with the defending champs. If so, he’d be a nice tandem mate with Kelce even if he’s catching less passes than ever.

Watson remains a savvy pass catcher whose experience and intelligence at this point makes up for a depreciated skill set athletically—at least to date. Every player hits the wall at some point and, as he nears the age of 40 (next December), Watson might be at that stage. But if Veach determines there’s more in the tank, Watson would be an ideal price and player in the TE2 slot.

Last season, Watson had 17 catches for 173 receiving yards for the Pats in 10 games. He has 547 career receptions for 6,058 yards and 44 touchdowns in his career.