{"id":754270,"date":"2026-02-15T17:39:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T17:39:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/754270\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T17:39:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T17:39:24","slug":"top-3-free-agents-andy-reid-can-target-if-travis-kelce-decides-to-move-on-fromchiefs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/754270\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 3 Free Agents Andy Reid Can Target if Travis Kelce Decides to Move On FromChiefs"},"content":{"rendered":"

There was a time when Travis Kelce<\/a> made it clear he wouldn\u2019t leave the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> guessing. If retirement were on the table, he\u2019d inform the organization before the draft and free agency so they could plan the roster accordingly. Now, here we are. The tight end is a free agent, free agency is less than a month away, and that clarity hasn\u2019t arrived yet.<\/p>\n

Kelce still hasn\u2019t made anything official. But from Andy Reid\u2019s standpoint, this isn\u2019t about waiting around. It\u2019s about preparing for what feels inevitable in the near future: finding the next answer at tight end if Kelce retires in 2026. With that in mind, it\u2019s worth breaking down three free agents the Chiefs could realistically explore this March. And right at the top of that list is Kyle Pitts.<\/p>\n

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The Atlanta Falcons<\/a>\u2019 tight end has already been loosely tied to Kansas City heading into 2025. At the time, nothing materialized. The former No. 4 overall pick stayed put in Atlanta. This time, though, it\u2019s different. He\u2019s set to hit free agency next month. And even with the Chiefs sitting roughly $58 million over the cap, there\u2019s at least a theoretical path to making a move for Pitts as a long-term successor to Kelce.<\/p>\n

After a couple of underwhelming seasons by expectation, Pitts is coming off one of the more productive years of his career: 88 receptions, 928 yards, and five touchdowns, along with an All-Pro nod. That shifts the conversation. Atlanta does have the franchise tag available, which would cost around $16 million, per Spotrac, if they choose to retain the 25-year-old that way.<\/p>\n

\"ATLANTA,<\/p>\n

ATLANTA, GA \u00d0 JANUARY 05: Atlanta tight end Kyle Pitts 8 fights for additional yardage after a reception during the NFL, American Football Herren, USA game between the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons on January 5th, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. Photo by Rich von Biberstein\/Icon Sportswire NFL: JAN 05 Panthers at Falcons EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon250105072<\/p>\n

But if the Falcons decide against committing at that number, that\u2019s where Kansas City enters the picture. Spotrac currently projects Pitts to sign a four-year, $43.3 million deal with an average annual value of $10.8 million. For a player still in his mid-20s, with proven upside, that\u2019s a number the Chiefs would at least have to examine seriously.<\/p>\n

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2. David Njoku<\/p>\n

\u201cCleveland, first off I love you. These 9 years have been a beautiful journey. I\u2019m am so grateful for all the memories we shared together. Thank you to The Haslams, Andrew Berry and the whole browns organization for everything,\u201d David Njoku bid farewell to the Cleveland Browns<\/a> after spending the first nine seasons of his career.<\/p>\n

Njoku had signed a four-year, $54.75 million extension back in 2022, and with that deal now expiring, this offseason marks a turning point. Instead of pushing for another extension in Cleveland, the 29-year-old appears ready for a reset in 2026. For a Chiefs team quietly preparing for life after Kelce, that naturally puts him in the conversation.<\/p>\n

The timing, though, is interesting. After a couple of notable seasons that reestablished his value, Njoku heads into free agency coming off a down year: 293 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games. Still, the athletic profile and experience remain. If Kansas City decides to explore the option, Spotrac projects Njoku to land a two-year, $20 million deal with a tight end-needy team this offseason.<\/p>\n

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3. Isiah Likely<\/p>\n

Just a few months ago, the Baltimore Ravens<\/a> doubled down at tight end, extending Mark Andrews on a three-year, $39.3 million deal. That signals commitment to the position. But it also raises a fair question about Isiah Likely\u2019s long-term outlook in Baltimore heading into 2026. A former fourth-round pick, Likely is coming off the quietest season of his career.<\/p>\n

After offseason surgery forced him to miss the first three games, he never quite found a consistent rhythm. He wrapped up the year with 27 catches for 307 yards and one touchdown. If he hits the open market, there won\u2019t be a shortage of interest. And for Andy Reid, adding a younger tight end with upside to the roster would make strategic sense.<\/p>\n

Spotrac currently projects Likely\u2019s next deal at around $9.1 million per year. That\u2019s a manageable number in theory. The larger issue, however, is Kansas City\u2019s cap sheet. The Chiefs remain significantly over the cap, which places real financial constraints on any aggressive move, no matter how appealing the fit might look on paper.<\/p>\n

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How Andy Reid\u2019s Chiefs will find cap space heading into free agency<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the real dilemma for the Chiefs, and it goes beyond simply reshaping the roster for 2026. In late January, the NFL informed teams that the 2026 salary cap would land somewhere between $301.2 million and $305.7 million. For Kansas City, every extra dollar matters. They\u2019re currently about $58 million over the projected limit with 54 players already under contract for 2026.<\/p>\n

If they\u2019re serious about making meaningful additions in March, they must be cap-compliant when the new league year opens on March 11. That means tough decisions are unavoidable. One straightforward route? Veteran cuts. And one name firmly in that discussion is Jawaan Taylor.<\/p>\n

Taylor has been serviceable, but the four-year, $80 million deal he signed in 2023 hasn\u2019t delivered clean value. Durability has been an issue, and the penalty concerns haven\u2019t helped the optics. Releasing him would leave roughly $7.4 million in dead money, but it would also free up around $20 million in cap space, a meaningful swing given their current position.<\/p>\n

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Beyond cuts, restructures feel inevitable. Two contracts, in particular, dominate the cap sheet: Patrick Mahomes at $78.2 million<\/a> and Chris Jones at $44.9 million. Mahomes<\/a>is widely expected to restructure again, as he has in previous cycles. If adjusted, the Chiefs could generate approximately $44.4 million in additional flexibility.<\/p>\n

Jones\u2019 situation, meanwhile, is less certain but still not out of the picture, considering it could clear around $22.5 million in cap space. So that\u2019s the balancing act. On one side: identifying a legitimate successor to Travis Kelce<\/a>. On the other: maneuvering the cap sheet enough to make it possible, all before the new league year officially begins.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There was a time when Travis Kelce made it clear he wouldn\u2019t leave the Kansas City Chiefs guessing.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":754271,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2074],"tags":[107977,501,223,254,2554,117,86,260,2025,85,4131,224,7,4609,11587,118,110,6153,759,2699,6,499,252,37038,500],"class_list":{"0":"post-754270","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-atlanta-falcons","8":"tag-allegiant-stadium-in-las-vegas","9":"tag-andy-reid","10":"tag-atlanta","11":"tag-atlanta-falcons","12":"tag-atlantafalcons","13":"tag-baltimore-ravens","14":"tag-browns","15":"tag-carolina-panthers","16":"tag-chris-jones","17":"tag-cleveland","18":"tag-david-njoku","19":"tag-falcons","20":"tag-football","21":"tag-free-agency","22":"tag-jawaan-taylor","23":"tag-kansas-city","24":"tag-kansas-city-chiefs","25":"tag-kyle-pitts","26":"tag-mark-andrews","27":"tag-nevada","28":"tag-nfl","29":"tag-patrick-mahomes","30":"tag-san-francisco-49ers","31":"tag-spotrac","32":"tag-travis-kelce"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116075874073453259","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=754270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/754270\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/754271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=754270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=754270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=754270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}