This offseason holds a lot of question marks for the Kansas City Chiefs. One of the biggest, however, is what the future holds for Travis Kelce. Will he retire, or will he decide to return and play another year?
If it's the former, the Chiefs will need to have a replacement at the ready. Noah Gray and Jared Wiley could be options, but because it's the offseason, why not speculate about a bolder name the Chiefs could add?
David Njoku recently penned a goodbye letter to the Cleveland Browns, signaling that his time with the franchise he's spent the past nine years with is over. If that's the case and Njoku is a free agent, he'd be a solid addition for Brett Veach and the Chiefs as they look to rebound from a 6-11 season in 2026.
The Chiefs will need a new tight end next season if Travis Kelce retires and David Njoku is ready to leave Cleveland after a decade.
Kelce hasn't made a decision yet regarding what's next for him. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported before Super Bowl 60 that a 14th season could still be in the cards for the tight end. Obviously, if Kelce wants to return, he's TE1 and Njoku would find work elsewhere. But, for a minute, let's entertain the idea that Kelce does call it a career and rides off into the sunset this offseason. Njoku would be an excellent tight end to bring in and serve as the primary weapon in Kelce's place.
While Njoku's numbers were down this past season due to injuries and the emergence of Harold Fannin Jr., he's still a reliable weapon at this late stage of his career. Just two years ago, he had over 800 yards receiving and 6 touchdowns for the Browns, and his hands would remain a great asset in the Chiefs' passing game.
As mentioned earlier, Gray and Wiley will be discussed as potential successors to Kelce, but neither has really impressed Chiefs fans all that much. Gray's production took a slide last year and he's a cut candidate as he gets more expensive in a contract year. Wiley has done very little in two years with the team and remains a complete unknown.
Njoku might be looked at as too big of a swing, since Spotrac projects him to receive a two-year, $20 million contract on the open market, but he'd be the perfect replacement for Kelce. The Chiefs need a huge offensive piece to help get this team back into contention mode, and Njoku could give them just that.