Kelechi Osemele hopes Chiefs championship will ‘cap off a long NFL career’

Kelechi Osemele hopes a Chiefs championship will “cap off a long NFL career.”

Nearly every NFL veteran will say they’re hungry to win a Super Bowl when asked about the reason they signed with a particular franchise in free agency. For Kelechi Osemele, he’s hoping another ring would serve as a bookend as he’s clearly also thinking about the end of the line on his career playing in the league.

The Kansas City Chiefs signed Osemele last week to a one-year deal worth up to $2 million in the wake of learning that starting right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif would be opting out of the forthcoming NFL season.

Osemele spoke with reporters during Chiefs training camp at Arrowhead Stadium (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and he reflected on his reasons for joining the Chiefs and what excited him most.

"“Instantly, the first thing I thought about was that this was a really good team,” Osemele said. “We have a chance to win a championship – I haven’t won one in eight seasons since my rookie year – so, I thought immediately that this should be a beautiful way to kind of cap off a long NFL career.”"

Osemele’s quick signing provided the Chiefs with an instant competitor along the interior offensive line at a point when multiple spots are up for grabs. Duvernay-Tardif’s decision created a hole at right guard that the Chiefs will have to sort out, but it should be noted that Osemele has been a fixture at left guard in the past. Certainly he has the skill set, knowledge, and experience to translate to the other side, but if Osemele can play at a high level, he could also plug the hole at left guard.

Last year, the Chiefs employed a couple different players at left guard hoping to find the right starting five and settled on Stefen Wisniewski in the process. Unfortunately, he declined overtures from the team to re-sign in order to land a deal in his hometown of Pittsburgh with the Steelers.

The Chiefs know well what Osemele can do after watching him for a few years along the Oakland Raiders’ stout offensive front. He earned two Pro Bowl invitations while in Oakland. Before that, he was a member of the Baltimore Ravens where he won his first Super Bowl ring in 2012.

Osemele, who is now 31 years old, is attempting to return to the game after 18 games over the last two seasons. He underwent shoulder surgery in 2019 and is healthy enough to pass a physical for the Chiefs. However, it will be interesting to see how it responds in a game and whether Osemele can remain healthy during the rigors of a regular season again.

At the very least, he sounds ready and motivated for one more run with an exciting team.