Chiefs face significant roadblock to potential Travis Kelce return

Travis Kelce is, by every objective measure, one of the greatest tight ends of all time and one of the best Kansas City Chiefs to ever lace them up.

As such, the team should bend over backwards to make sure he can run it back for at least another season.

Nevertheless, the Chiefs' dreadful salary cap situation might make that a little tricky.

As pointed out by Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith, even if Kelce wants to return, the Chiefs might not be in a position to pay him.

Travis Kelce may have to take a massive pay cut to return to the Chiefs

"It’s not surprising that the Chiefs want Kelce back. It would be a surprise if they’re willing to keep paying him the $17 million a year he’s been making," David Smith wrote. 

According to Over The Cap, the Chiefs have the worst salary cap situation in the entire league. 

They're roughly $54 million over the cap, and accommodating all that money for a player who's soon to be 37 years old and coming off his worst statistical season in recent years might not be the best way to help Patrick Mahomes.

That said, it's hard to imagine a scenario in which the Chiefs wouldn't be willing to make things work. 

It will take plenty of financial juggling, but they can free up more than $100 million in cap space by restructuring some contracts. They can free up $44 million by reworking Patrick Mahomes' deal, and he's more than likely to go the extra mile to keep his partner in crime in Kansas City. 

Also, Kelce has made more than $111 million in playing salary alone, according to Spotrac, not counting his endorsement deals and off-field endeavors, so money may not be an issue if he truly wants to be back.