The Kansas City Chiefs are awaiting a decision from star tight end Travis Kelce on whether or not he wants to continue his playing career.

If he retires, Kansas City could opt to bring in an established veteran to complement current No. 2 TE Noah Gray. If Kelce chooses to play in 2025, the Chiefs likely won’t address the position in any significant way during free agency.

They currently have five TEs on the roster, and other than being an extra blocker or special teams contributor, there’s not much of a role to be had beyond Kelce and Gray. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some potential free agent TE targets for the Chiefs if Kelce does indeed decide to hang up his cleats.

Mike Gesicki

Gesicki may be the best available tight end on the market. After a couple of down years, he bounced back nicely with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2024, recording 65 catches for 665 yards and two touchdowns, The seven-year veteran has four seasons with at least 50 receptions.

Gesicki and Gray would make for a nice one-two punch at TE. It’s tough to gauge Gesicki’s market value because, while he’s still productive, he’s not in the upper echelon at his position. Even if he does come a little pricey, he still may be cheaper than a middle-of-the-road wide receiver.

Zach Ertz

Ertz’s Pro Bowl days are behind him, but he is still productive as he showed in 2024 with 66 catches for 654 yards and seven touchdowns. The 34-year-old veteran has good hands and is a solid route runner.

Ertz would bring experience and leadership similar to what the Chiefs have had with Kelce. He isn’t going to stretch the field or rack up a lot of yards after catch, but he’s a good safety blanket to have during third-down situations.

Luke Farrell

The 2021 fifth-round pick has primarily been the Jacksonville Jaguars’ No. 2 TE since he was drafted, but has also made 20 career starts. 16 of those have come over the past two seasons, in which he has played over 800 snaps on offense. Farrell’s strength is blocking, which he excels at.

That would open up Gray more as a receiver, which would be fine after he set new career highs in receptions (40), yards (437), and touchdowns (5) last season. Essentially, Gray would take over Kelce’s role and Farrell slide into Gray’s previous role.

Farrell likely has some familiarity with the Chiefs’ offensive system after playing for Doug Pederson for three years. He has also been a regular contributor on special teams on for Jacksonville.

Kylen Granson

Another 2021 draft pick, Granson has spent his entire career with the Indianapolis Colts. He has been an underrated receiving option at times, averaging over 12 yards per catch each of the last two years. As a whole he has caught 86 passes for 958 yards and one touchdown in four seasons.

Granson saw his role reduce as a pass catcher in 2024, but in fairness, the Colts’ quarterback situation was a mess. Still just 26-years-old, Granson could have some untapped potential.