Steelers Playing Travis Kelce Twice A Year Just Became Extremely Possible With Browns Lingering

The Pittsburgh Steelers will do everything possible throughout the 2026 offseason to build a roster that can defend an AFC North championship. The team has a lot of holes in several different areas, which will lead to many different moves from General Manager Omar Khan. Additionally, the division has seen plenty of turnover with three of the four franchises having new head coaches. There could be a lot of different avenues for the organizations to take in regards to their depth charts. This simple fact means that there is a possibility for plenty of new faces to join the fray.

Monday is an exciting day for the NFL, as the legal tampering period begins. Pending free agents have the opportunity to verbally agree on terms with teams, but have to wait until Wednesday to put pen to paper. With nearly $50 million in cap space overall, the Steelers are expected to be heavy players in the market, but so are other AFC North squads.

Something came to the surface on Sunday evening that will certainly intrigue fans in the Steel City. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk was diving into the logistics of Kansas City Chiefs legend Travis Kelce hitting the open market. While it seems impossible to imagine him in a different colored jersey, the insider threw out a couple of options if the Chiefs do not want to re-sign him (if he still intends to play).

"Still, money talks," Florio wrote. "If the Chiefs don’t want to pay very much for another season and another team shows up with a significant offer, will that get Kelce’s attention? Matt Nagy, who has worked for the Chiefs throughout Kelce’s career, is now the offensive coordinator of the Giants. Although Kelce’s post-football career hardly needs a New York City bump, it couldn’t hurt to finish up in the nation’s top market with a team that is trying to build something positive," Florio wrote.

The New York Giants would make sense for Kelce, but it's the next possibility that will have the Steelers interested. The Cleveland Browns —albeit not notoriously known to recruit high-profile free agents — could make sense for the tight end as he looks to wrap up his career.

"How about his hometown Browns? He could see that as an attractive way to close out his career, if he thinks the Chiefs aren’t realistically in the Super Bowl window for 2026."

It really all comes down to if Kelce wants to test the market and play in a different city for what very well could be his final year. He will always be known as a Chief, and has accomplished everything and then some. Three Super Bowl rings and a surefire future Hall of Fame induction may be enough for him to desire something more sentimental, rather than trying to celebrate his fourth championship.

At 36 years of age, Kelce isn't what he used to be on the field. Leaving Kansas City would likely result in him becoming a little less of the factor on offense, and a lot more of a leader in the locker room. The Browns have a rising star in Harold Fannin Jr., so signing someone like Kelce could be the perfect complement to the tight end room. It would be ideal for Cleveland to have the young pass-catcher learn from the legendary one.

Update As Of 11:42am: 

Looks like the Chiefs are indeed making a late push to sign Kelce to a deal as with right this second minutes away from free agency. 

The move does make sense for many reasons for the Chiefs, but Kelce going home to Cleveland to finish his career still isn't completely out of the realm of possibility. Stay tuned. 

Steelers Still Would Not Want To See Kelce Twice Per Season

Despite him being older and in the backend of his career, Pittsburgh has always struggled against Kelce. Overall, tight ends have given the team fits for several years. Regardless of Kelce starting to slow down, it'd be preferred if he simply stayed with the Chiefs, or signed with another organization that didn't compete in the AFC North. He doesn't just bring football into the equation, either, as nearly every game he plays in ends up in the headlines because of his personal life.

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