Getty Veteran tight end Blake Bell spent the 2019 season with the Chiefs.
After reaching the mountain top as a part of the 2019 Super Bowl LIV roster, a familiar face is returning to the Kansas City Chiefs for another shot at a Super Bowl ring in 2021.
As first reported by former NFLer and current Big 12 Today host Gabe Ikard, veteran tight end Blake Bell has agreed to a one-year deal to return to Kansas City.
The Chiefs have since confirmed the reunion with a video of Bell putting pen to paper on his new deal.
The Belldozer is back 🔔
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Bell Spent 2020 With the Dallas Cowboys
Bell, 29, now returns to the Chiefs after a year away with the Dallas Cowboys, who signed the 6-foot-6, 252-pounder to a one-year, $1.7 million contract last March, nearly double the $895K he made in Kansas City in 2019. Financials on his new deal are similar, with a total value of $1.1 million and $887K in guaranteed money.
Blake Bell (Chiefs) one year, $1.127M, $887,500 gtd, $137,500 signing bonus, salary $900K ($750K gtd)
Coveted far more for his blocking ability, the “Belldozer” hauled in 11 passes for 110 yards as a part of Dallas’ tight end rotation last season, his highest output since his rookie campaign with the San Francisco 49ers in 2015. For his career, the six-year veteran has 49 receptions and 534 receiving yards to his name, although he is still chasing his all-elusive first regular season NFL touchdown.
Bell will now slot back in behind All-Pro Travis Kelce in 2021. After the AFC champions made the decision to let Deon Yelder walk and test the free agent market, the tight ends currently under contract for the Chiefs include Bell, Nick Keizer, Evan Baylis and Sean Culkin. Head coach Andy Reid hasn’t made the No. 2 tight end role a priority in recent years, but given the current state of the position, it would not be a surprise to see the front office continue to add talent there.
Chiefs Courting Another Pro Bowl TE?
Knowing that Kansas City has not gone out of its way to pair a top-end tight end with Kelce during his recent accent, it came as a surprise to many that the Chiefs are kicking the tires on a possible trade for three-time Pro Bowler Zach Ertz.
Shortly after NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport confirmed on Tuesday that the Philadelphia Eagles had officially given their star tight end permission to seek a trade, The Athletic’s Nate Taylor reported that the Chiefs “have shown interest” in acquiring the dynamic playmaker.
Ertz, 30, like Kelce, has been one of the most productive pass-catchers at the position for the better part of the last decade. In eight seasons in Philadelphia, the 2013 second-round pick has averaged 70 receptions, 759 yards and 4.5 touchdowns, peaking in 2018 with a career-best 116-1,163-8 line on the way to the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots.
Now in the final year of his current contract, Ertz is scheduled to take home an $8.2 million base salary (sixth-most among tight ends in 2021) and will count for a $12.5 million cap hit against his next team. However, Philadelphia’s timeline for completing a trade remains murky. At present, the Chiefs are projected to have just north of $25 million in available salary cap space, per Spotrac.
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Chris Licata is an NFL contributor covering the Kansas City Chiefs from enemy territory in Denver, Colorado. Follow him on Twitter @Chris__Licata or join the Heavy on Chiefs Facebook community for the latest out of Chiefs Kingdom!