The Kansas City Chiefs were on the doorstep of history, just one game away from becoming immortalized as the greatest dynasty in football history. Instead, they became another footnote among a slew of teams that fell short of winning three consecutive championships. Rather than being remembered for the unprecedented feat, their failure will be mentioned briefly on a graphic the next time a team comes close to attempting the NFL's first three-peat.
Kansas City was trounced by the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, and the final score of 40-22 appears a lot closer than it truly was. By the time Kendrick Lamar celebrated his lopsided victory over Drake during the halftime show, the Chiefs had already lost their will to compete. While the world was preparing to immortalize the Chiefs, the Eagles decided to display all of Kansas City's flaws to a record-setting audience.
The Chiefs are no longer capable of producing a high-flying aerial attack, and much of that has to do with the rapid decline of tight end Travis Kelce. The perennial All-Pro has clearly lost a few steps, and Kansas City will have to find a new centerpiece for their offense.
Chiefs may be searching for Travis Kelce's successor in the 2025 NFL Draft
Kansas City hasn't been shy about their intent to find Kelce's successor. They secured a veteran presence by signing backup tight end Noah Gray to a three-year extension this offseason and may have their eyes on some prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. During an appearance on "Up and Adams," Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr. told Kay Adams that he was scheduled to have a pre-draft visit with the Chiefs.
Fannin is among the top-five prospects at his position in this year's tight end class, and he's expected to be a mid-round pick. The undersized tight end excelled as a pass catcher and set FBS records for most receptions (111) and receiving yards (1,555) to go along with 10 touchdowns.
Penn State tight end Tyler Warren is considered to be the top tight end prospect in the 2025 draft. The 6-foot-6 tight end led the Big Ten with 1,233 yards and eight receiving touchdowns, while compiling 218 yards and four scores on the ground. Like Fannin, Warren fits the mold to play as a Y-Iso tight end in Kansas City's West Coast system. Unfortunately for Kansas City, Warren will likely be long gone by the time they're on the board with the No. 31 overall pick. That leaves Kansas City with one of two options: trade up to select Warren or take a swing at a mid-round prospect like Fannin.
The Chiefs attempted to get a head start on developing Kelce’s successor by drafting TCU tight end Jared Wiley in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The rookie was placed on the injured reserve list after suffering a torn ACL during a practice session in early November. Wiley played in just seven games and was targeted just once despite playing 92 offensive snaps. His lone target went for a seven-yard gain against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2.
Kansas City didn't seem overly impressed with Wiley's early performance, and they signed veteran tight end Jody Fortson in September. Fortson began to cut into Wiley's snap count and played more snaps (19) than Wiley (17) in Week 8, Wiley's last game of his rookie season.