The Kansas City Chiefs are one of the last teams in the NFL to have OTAs. Despite winning the past three AFC Championships, there is still work to be done for the perennial juggernaut. The Chiefs did not win the big game in February. In fact, they got their teeth kicked in by the Philadelphia Eagles in the most recent Super Bowl. The good news is a hungry Chiefs team is a scary one to deal with.
To be totally transparent, the Chiefs are in a group of two teams, along with the Eagles, that have earned enough equity with their fanbases where anything and everything could happen next season, good or bad, and it should be totally fine. Yes, winning another Super Bowl should be the goal for this team, but as long as the Chiefs make the playoffs, there is no real reason for anybody to complain.
Now that their latest session of OTAs have reached conclusion, we have news on competition brewing in the secondary, Patrick Mahomes potentially finding a new favorite team in his receiving corps, and a bit of an update on why Travis Kelce decided to come back for another season. The Chiefs are always making news.
Chiefs secondary battles heating up as Jaylen Watson praises Kristian Fulton
Jaylen Watson may only be entering his fourth season in the NFL with the Chiefs, but he is already emerging as a leader in their secondary. While he only appeared in six games for Kansas City a season ago, he knows what great play in the defensive backfield looks like, and how that should apply to the Chiefs. He spoke very highly during OTAs about newcomer Kristian Fulton.
And whether it be infectious energy, great football savvy and a willingness to compete, he will fit right in.
"Very physical, smart player has great energy. The whole room loves him, so it should be healthy competition. I've been doing this for four years now. So that's nothing new, but this should be fun. Playing in the secondary, you need that depth just so if anyone gets hurt or anything, you can have someone come in and step up and play the role correctly, and there's no drop off. Nohl's (Williams) is looking great. He's a great corner. And then we still have Josh (Williams) and Jay. So it's great depth."
Fulton comes to the Chiefs by way of NFL free agency. The former second-round pick made by the Tennessee Titans in 2020 spent last season with the Los Angeles Chargers. While his NFL career has not rivaled his stellar college career at LSU, Fulton going to a defense that is coordinated by Steve Spagnuolo should be to his benefit. This unit really needs for him to be an impact player this season.
Injuries ravaged the Chiefs in the secondary down the stretch, as illustrated by Watson's absence.
Patrick Mahomes building early chemistry with new top wide receiver
It's still early in Chiefs' mandatory minicamp, but looking at Patrick Mahomes spreading the ball around in 11-on-11 practice on Tuesday could signal his new favorite target. Veteran wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster led the team with four targets. While several others had multiple targets, there could be something to glean from this. Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce also got theirs.
Perhaps an increased role is coming for Smith-Schuster within the context of the Chiefs' offense?
Mahomes' 11-on-11 targets: Smith-Schuster (4), Brownlee, TE Noah Gray (3), Rice (3), Kelce (2), Moore (2), Pacheco (2), Ross, Smith, WR Tyquan Thornton, WR Xavier Worthy
— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) June 17, 2025
Cem Yolbulan of KC Kingdom argued that this is a sign that Smith-Schuster is a lock to make the 53-man roster, at bare minimum. That may be the case, but it probably suggests that Mahomes knows the importance of building on his rapport with Smith-Schuster ahead of this fall. This will be Smith-Schuster's third combined season with the team, as he played there in 2022.
Travis Kelce explains why he isn’t retiring
When meeting with the local media on Wednesday, Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce provided some much-needed clarity on his decision to come back to the team for year 13 after spending an extra month to contemplate potential retirement. Kelce is on the Mount Rushmore of NFL tight ends, but he is also 35, going on 36-years-old. As someone in his age bracket, I can say that getting older feels not all that great.
For Kelce, the decision to come back for year 13 was an easy one for him to make after last NFL season.
"I love football. I don't think I really thought about it that much ... I love coming in to work every single day. It wasn't a very tough one for me. I know I'm getting older, but at the same time I still feel like I've got a lot I can prove in this league. With that being said, it really wasn't that hard of a decision for me."
Kelce's benchmark on if he had a successful year or not is based on if he won another Super Bowl.
"That's the only way I determine if it's a successful (season) or not. It's just how I'm wired now."
For the time being, Kelce seems to be comfortable taking it one year at a time, which is the right call.
"I got one year on this contract, I know that, and we'll try and figure out something for next year. The Chiefs organization knows how much I love them. I can't see myself ever playing anywhere else. We'll deal with that down the road when the time is right, but right now I'm focused on winning a championship this year."
Obviously, Kelce is never going to play for another franchise. He has a blossoming media career ahead of him whenever he does decide to hang up the spikes. The fact he is dating the biggest pop star of his generation leads me to believe he is built for his next venture beyond that of suiting up to play ball on fall Sundays. I would say Kelce will play this year, maybe next, but that might be it for him.
In the meantime, let's just enjoy the twilight of Kelce's illustrious NFL career while we still can.