{"id":4051,"date":"2024-11-24T04:15:05","date_gmt":"2024-11-24T04:15:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=4051"},"modified":"2024-11-24T04:15:05","modified_gmt":"2024-11-24T04:15:05","slug":"patrick-mahomes-gets-real-about-replacing-travis-kelce-in-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=4051","title":{"rendered":"Patrick Mahomes Gets Real About Replacing Travis Kelce in the Future"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As one of the most dominant tight ends in\u00a0NFL\u00a0history,\u00a0Travis Kelce\u2019s impact on the\u00a0Kansas City Chiefs\u00a0has been immeasurable.<\/p>\n<p>With a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that includes three\u00a0Super Bowl\u00a0championships, seven consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and seven All-Pro honors, the 35-year-old remains a vital piece of the Chiefs\u2019 offensive success.<\/p>\n<p>Even as Kelce continues to produce \u2014 he has 62 receptions for 507 yards and two touchdowns this season \u2014 questions about his eventual replacement have started to arise.<\/p>\n<p>Chiefs quarterback\u00a0Patrick Mahomes\u00a0recently addressed the topic in a conversation\u00a0with ESPN\u2019s Adam Teich<a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/42529472\/kansas-city-chiefs-noah-gray-tight-end-travis-kelce\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">er<\/a>, expressing his faith in backup tight end Noah Gray. The four-year veteran, who signed a three-year, $18 million contract extension earlier this year, has quietly emerged as a reliable option in Kansas City\u2019s offense.<\/p>\n<div class=\"m-detail--body-item m-detail--body-item-inline\">\n<figure class=\"l-inline tml-image m-detail--tml-image--inline\"><a><picture class=\"is-loaded\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_380\/MjA4Njg1ODYxMTU4NTI4MzA3\/usatsi_23860713.webp 380w, https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620\/MjA4Njg1ODYxMTU4NTI4MzA3\/usatsi_23860713.webp 620w, https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700\/MjA4Njg1ODYxMTU4NTI4MzA3\/usatsi_23860713.webp 700w\" type=\"image\/webp\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1240px) 700px, (min-width: 675px) 620px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_380\/MjA4Njg1ODYxMTU4NTI4MzA3\/usatsi_23860713.jpg 380w, https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620\/MjA4Njg1ODYxMTU4NTI4MzA3\/usatsi_23860713.jpg 620w, https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700\/MjA4Njg1ODYxMTU4NTI4MzA3\/usatsi_23860713.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1240px) 700px, (min-width: 675px) 620px, calc(100vw - 40px)\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"m-detail--tml-image m-image\" src=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/t_share\/MjA4Njg1ODYxMTU4NTI4MzA3\/usatsi_23860713.jpg\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"Noah Gray recently signed a three-year, $18 million extension with the Chiefs.\u00a0\" width=\"7750\" height=\"5166\" data-src=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/.image\/c_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700\/MjA4Njg1ODYxMTU4NTI4MzA3\/usatsi_23860713.jpg\" \/><\/picture><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"m-detail--tml-image-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"m-detail--tml-image-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<p class=\"tml-image--caption\">Noah Gray recently signed a three-year, $18 million extension with the Chiefs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tml-image--attribution\">\u00a9 Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n<p>With 23 catches for 249 yards and two touchdowns, Gray boasts the highest catch percentage in the NFL among non-running backs, connecting on 88.5% of his targets.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s one of those guys that can come in for Travis in spots, and I have full confidence that he can go out there and make plays happen as well,\u201d Mahomes said. \u201cHe\u2019s learned a ton behind Trav, and you can see him getting better and better each and every year.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"m-detail--body-item m-detail--body-twitter-embed\">\n<figure class=\"m-embed mm-embed--twitter l-inline\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1858284227634106831&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fathlonsports.com%2Fnfl%2Fkansas-city-chiefs%2Fpatrick-mahomes-gets-real-about-replacing-travis-kelce-in-future&amp;sessionId=6a039b3a8793d76d794c38f8446968d6ede33ebb&amp;siteScreenName=athlonsports&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"1858284227634106831\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Gray\u2019s steady development has positioned him as Kelce\u2019s likely successor. With Kelce\u2019s contract set to expire after the 2027 season, Teicher noted that Gray appears to be the \u201ceventual replacement\u201d for the legendary tight end. While replacing Kelce\u2019s production and leadership will be no easy task, the Chiefs seem to be grooming Gray for the role.<\/p>\n<p>Head coach Andy Reid also highlighted Gray\u2019s growing importance, saying, \u201cWe do a bunch of double-tight (end) stuff, plus he\u2019s able to spot Kelce and he comes out of games with quite a few snaps because of the special teams.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As Kelce continues to defy expectations in his mid-30s, the Chiefs are ensuring they\u2019re prepared for the future, with Mahomes and Gray ready to lead the way when the time comes.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As one of the most dominant tight ends in\u00a0NFL\u00a0history,\u00a0Travis Kelce\u2019s impact on the\u00a0Kansas City Chiefs\u00a0has been immeasurable. With a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that includes three\u00a0Super Bowl\u00a0championships, seven consecutive 1,000-yard&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Patrick Mahomes Gets Real About Replacing Travis Kelce in the Future - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=4051\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Patrick Mahomes Gets Real About Replacing Travis Kelce in the Future - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As one of the most dominant tight ends in\u00a0NFL\u00a0history,\u00a0Travis Kelce\u2019s impact on the\u00a0Kansas City Chiefs\u00a0has been immeasurable. 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