Cole Kmet checks every box if Chiefs eye future without Travis Kelce

The Kansas City Chiefs have quite a few holes to fill this offseason, not only on the coaching staff but on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. One of those holes could very well be the Chiefs’ leader in basically every receiving category: Travis Kelce.

With Kelce’s retirement looming after 13 amazing seasons in red and yellow, it would benefit the Chiefs’ front office and head coach Andy Reid to grab a tight end to replace him as soon as possible.

Obviously, the hope inside the building was that players like Noah Gray, Jared Wiley, or Jake Briningstool would become the long-term replacement for the future Hall of Famer. But so far, those players have not lived up to the potential needed to take over as Patrick Mahomes’ TE1.

But perhaps a great option, Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet, just increased his stock with one of the biggest and most exhilarating plays in NFL postseason history.

Why Cole Kmet works perfectly in Kansas City

There are plenty of tight ends who have enough years in the league to satisfy Reid’s famously hard-headed preference for experience over pure talent, and Kmet could be just the guy he’s looking for.

Kmet, originally drafted 43rd overall by the Chicago Bears in 2020, has played 100 career games and has never missed more than one game in any of his six seasons. That’s plenty of snaps and plenty of experience to make Reid smile under his walrus-like mustache.

Also, just like Kelce, Kmet can claim that his best ability is his availability, and he’s one of the few tight ends who can prove it.

Not only does his lack of injury history stand out as a positive for Reid’s offense, but the past two years playing with Caleb Williams could be the catalyst for another superstar tight end wearing Chiefs red in Arrowhead.

Williams was famously heralded as “the next Patrick Mahomes” coming out of USC three years ago, and now that Kmet has enjoyed the stylings of those backyard-football-type plays, he could easily make a massive impact with the quarterback who has perfected that style of offense over the past eight seasons.

Why would Chicago give him up if he's so good?

Ryan Poles isn’t dumb. He knows what the Bears have with their stellar offense revolving around Caleb Williams and that superb wide receiver corps. They also know that some dominoes are going to have to fall in order to get over the hump with the young group of players they’ve built around “the next Mahomes.”

But Kmet has been there for six seasons. He’s been through the ups and downs of Chicago’s previous coaching staff and even their former front office before then–Chiefs Director of Player Personnel Ryan Poles arrived to fix the Bears’ disastrous history.

Poles has already been generous with Kansas City and GM Brett Veach—just look at the Joe Thuney trade early last year—which lends credibility to the idea that he could move Kmet to KC for the right price.

Kmet also wouldn’t be leaving Chicago without a succession plan. Poles hit once again on a first-round pick out of Michigan in last year’s draft with Colston Loveland. Loveland led the tight end room at the end of the season in targets (82), receptions (58), yards (713), and touchdowns (six). He’s clearly prepared to take over Kmet’s role as TE1, if he hasn’t already.

Finally, the Bears could get $10 million off the books next year and up to $23 million over the final two years of Kmet’s four-year, $50 million deal he signed in July 2023—one of Poles’ first major signings as Chicago’s GM.

Some stats to ease your mind about Cole Kmet

Many fans see those large numbers on paychecks and start to grimace, but in the case of Kmet ($12.5 million per year) replacing Kelce ($17.125 million per year), it would be worth it in many ways. First, it could allow the Chiefs to move on from Noah Gray after his disappointing season, which could free up over $10 million, which is nearly the exact amount needed for Kmet.

Kmet is also very similar to Kelce in that he has solid hands and rarely commits drops in big moments. In fact, entering this past season, he had a catch percentage of 73.5 percent, which is higher than Kelce’s 72.7 percent over the same time period.

Not only does Kmet have the edge in catching efficiency, but he also blocks at a better and more consistent rate, with an average run-block grade of 61.36 over the last five years compared to Kelce’s 56.86 (per PFF). That could come in handy with former running back Eric Bieniemy back at the helm as offensive coordinator next season.

Even though Kelce massively outshines Kmet in yards per reception and yards per season, it’s still a young man’s game in today’s NFL, and Kmet (26, turning 27) clearly has an edge over the 36-year-old contemplating retirement.

Whether Kelce leaves this season or next, Veach and the Chiefs should keep a close eye on Kmet, who could be expendable on a Bears team that has shown just how much receiving talent it has. The relationship between both teams’ front offices should keep Kmet’s name firmly on Kansas City’s radar as Kelce’s decision looms.