The Kansas City Chiefs are staring down the barrel of a salary and free agency crisis as multiple players are set to depart the team.
KC has little cap space and is set to possible lose many key players – such as safety Justin Reid, linebacker Nick Bolton, defensive end Charles Omenihu, pᴀss rusher Joshua Uche, running backs Samaje Perine and Kareem Hunt, and wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Mecole Hardman among others.
With the Chiefs hoping to keep their dynasty alive, it could force them to make moves that seem drastic or unpopular.
ESPN NFL analyst Aaron Schatz proposed one move that could save them cap space and give them some money to try and sign pieces: cut Travis Kelce.
On the surface, that might seem like a non-starter. Kelce is one of the most popular players in the league (his relationship with Taylor Swift has certainly boosted that) and has been a key contributor to three Super Bowl тιтles for the Chiefs.
Yet, diving into his on-field performance and the potential financial incentives paints a picture that makes sense if the Chiefs were to move on from him.
One ESPN NFL analyst believes the Chiefs might cut Travis Kelce to save on cap space
Cutting Kelce would free up $17m in salary as the Chiefs have dozens of players in free agency
Schatz points to data from Roster Management System that shows cutting Kelce would only lead to $2.5million in ᴅᴇᴀᴅ cap space for the Chiefs while saving them over $17million on the salary cap.
With Kansas City currently projected to have negative effective cap space, moving on from Kelce could be a relatively cheap way to fix their issues.
But then there’s the on-field aspect. Last season, Kelce posted his worst statistical year since he became a starter.
His 823 receiving yards and three touchdowns are the least of his career and with 8.5 yards per catch, 2024 was the first time in his career that he averaged under double-digit yards a catch.
At age 35, Kelce isn’t likely to have a career resurgence any time soon, but he’s set to be the fifth most-expensive player on the Chiefs next year by salary cap hit.
Next season is the last year on Kelce’s current contract. He would hit free agency in 2026.
