A pessimist's guide to the 2024 Kansas City Chiefs

In 2024, the Kansas City Chiefs aim to become the first team to three-peat as champions in the Super Bowl era. However, that won't be a cakewalk. 

Here's why Kansas City should be worried next season.

Tight end Travis Kelce could slow down

In April, the Chiefs made Kelce the highest-paid TE in the league, giving him a two-year, $34.25M deal. After announcing the contract, K.C. general manager Brett Veach insisted Kelce isn't slowing down, even though he turns 35 on Oct. 5. The numbers suggest otherwise.

In 15 games last season, Kelce failed to surpass 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since 2015. NFL.com's Kevin Patra noted the production of TEs typically dips in their late 30s. For example, future Hall of Famer and ex-Chargers star Antonio Gates never crossed the 650-receiving-yard mark in four seasons at 35-plus.

The Chiefs drafted Jared Wiley in the fourth round, but he probably won't develop into a nine-time Pro Bowler like Kelce. In five seasons at Texas and TCU, he finished with 90 receptions for 1,013 yards and 15 touchdown catches.

Depth at cornerback

This offseason, the Chiefs dealt cornerback L'Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans. Last season, the 27-year-old served as Kansas City's lockdown corner, allowing no receiving touchdowns in 16 games, per Pro Football Focus.  

While first-team All-Pro Trent McDuffie will likely replace Sneed, K.C. may not have another elite corner on its roster.  Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams have allowed 17 receiving TDs over the past two seasons. The Chiefs drafted Tennessee's Kamal Hadden, who had three interceptions in seven games in 2023 before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury, in the sixth round.  

Unless Williams, Watson or Hadden emerges as a premier corner, the Chiefs' secondary depth could become a weakness that offenses exploit. It is worth mentioning that K.C. faces several elite quarterbacks this season, including Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens), Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills) and Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals).

Unusual schedule

In 2024, the Chiefs will play one game every day of the week except Tuesday. Per Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, the last club to do this was the 1927 New York Yankees, which shared a name with the much more famous baseball team.

It wouldn't be surprising if the atypical schedule creates some problems, sapping stamina and making it harder to game plan.

"[The Chiefs] will have a high number of shorter-than-usual or longer-than-usual weeks and not as many breaks as normal of the typical six-day variety," wrote ESPN's Adam Teicher. "How will they handle this? The Chiefs have a veteran team, and their experience should help, but it's a situation that bears watching."