KC Chiefs should invite LeBron James to offseason training activities in ’22

If it doesn’t work, it’s a fun weekend with a globally known superstar hanging around Arrowhead Stadium. But what if—just what if—Travis Kelce is right and LeBron James has the requisite skill set, work ethic, and athletic insight to be a success at tight end. If any team could ever find out, why not the Kansas City Chiefs?

In case we’ve dove into the deep end of the pool here, let’s back up the train for just a minute.

Earlier this week, LeBron hung out on the Monday Night Football broadcast with Peyton and Eli Manning. While he was there, he discussed the fact that both the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks had reached out to him years ago asking him to make the transition from the NBA to the NFL (or at least become a two-sport athlete). It was an interesting talking point, to be sure.

There are legitimate reasons for the Chiefs to extend an OTA invite to LeBron James.

However, the fire only intensified a bit when Travis Kelce, who is also from northern Ohio, just like James, spoke to TMZ Sports about the same subject. In that interview, Kelce, who knows a thing or two about playing tight end at a high level in the National Football League, affirmed LeBron’s potential for making the switch.

"“I think LeBron is one of the greatest athletes in the world, right? So I think his athleticism, how knowledgeable he is about the game of basketball, that you can tell how he plays,” Kelce said. “He gets down to the scheme of things, and that’s a lot about being a football player is understanding schemes and going out there and playing free and letting your athleticism show.”"

Now, there’s a fine line here and I want to acknowledge it. We all laughed at the Jacksonville Jaguars for bringing in Tim Tebow earlier this preseason (and if you didn’t, then you should have). Yes, both moves were stretches, and you could say, “At least Tim Tebow was a pro football player at one point.” But it was also at a position he’d never played and several years since he’d ever been in the NFL. He was clearly outmatched and the Jags even stayed with it way too late.

On the flip side, Kelce’s comments show a real seriousness to the idea. Note that Kelce didn’t say, “Oh, yeah, LeBron can do anything he wants.” No Kelce was pointing to the specifics of the position and what it takes to succeed and noting what he sees in LeBron that makes him believe he can do it. Even more, two other teams at least reached out with very real interest at one point, so it’s not as if the Chiefs would be the first team to make that overture.

Here’s the other thing working in LeBron’s favor in making the move: there’s a long line of former basketball players who have now made the switch to tight end in the National Football League. The greatest to ever play the position did so with the Chiefs after having enjoyed a solid career as a college basketball player. In fact, those skills allowed him to dominate at the pro level because he’d learned so much about positioning to go with his natural athleticism and hands.

Gonzalez is hardly the only one. The Chiefs literally just signed one of the best defensive players in college basketball—Mark Vital of Baylor—last season to the practice squad even though he hasn’t played the game of football in an organized fashion since the eight grade. Demetrius Harris and Ross Travis are two other recent players who made the same transition, and all of these examples are just from K.C.

It’s also important to note that LeBron’s invitation, should the Chiefs ever extend one, should come at OTAs. This is the time of year when tryout players are all around. Rookie free agents are hoping to stick shortly after the draft has been held. There are strangers all around and none of them are taking up a precious roster spot. If LeBron were ever serious about stepping into an NFL camp and working with a coaching staff, that would be the moment to do so.

We’re all well aware that something like this would likely never work out. Who knows if LeBron would be interested? He’s also 36 years old and would have to think about the ramifications of what it would mean for his NBA career. There are logistics on myriad levels, and the ensuing media circus on a team with household names already on the roster might not be what Clark Hunt wants to see at Arrowhead.

But that lingering question of “what if?” is something mentioned by Kelce himself in the interview. And that’s what makes me wonder whether it’s at least worth the invitation, right?

"“I think that’s a question we all want to see, we all want to figure out, right? Whether or not he’d be able to do it,” Kelce said. “Like I said, his athleticism – I think there’s a few guys in the NBA that could make that transition, but him definitely being one of them.”"

We’re inclined to agree, Travis.