Chiefs Plan for the Future After Travis Kelce is Gone?

The Chiefs have a stacked tight end room, consisting of Noah Gray, Robert Tonyan, Jared Wiley, and Jake Brinningstool. While Gray is likely to be the leading candidate to replace Kelce, should he return following this season, the Chiefs can't 100% bank on the fact that Gray will be a plus starting tight end.

With that, the Chiefs could look to bring in another tight end through free agency to fill the shoes of Kelce, but if that avenue doesn't work out in the franchise's favor, there is always another route. That route is through the 2026 NFL Draft, and Sports Illustrated has a man in mind for Kansas City to select.

In Daniel Flick's recent NFL Mock Draft for the 2026 NFL Draft, he predicts that general manager Brett Veach and his crew will select tight end Max Klare out of Ohio State University with a later first-round pick.

• "How much longer will Travis Kelce play, and who’s going to fill his spot in the Chiefs’ passing game? There’s hardly a defined answer," Flick wrote.

• "While backup tight end Noah Gray is signed through 2027, Kansas City would benefit from adding Klare, an athletic pass catcher who separates during routes and can make plays after the catch. Though he’s not a traditional in-line tight end and lacks blocking acumen, the 6' 4", 236-pound Klare projects as a dangerous H-back or big slot receiver."

Klare previously played his first two seasons of collegiate ball with the Purdue Boilermakers. Last season, he collected 685 receiving yards and scored four touchdowns. While the Chiefs' main focus is on the regular season at this point in the offseason, they have to keep Klare in mind as an option for the future.