Chiefs Make Strong Statement About TE Noah Gray Hours Before Season Opener

Getty Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray.

Hours before the Kansas City Chiefs open the 2024 NFL regular season against the Baltimore Ravens, ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared that the Chiefs are signing tight end Noah Gray to a three-year contract extension worth $18 million with $10.1 million fully guaranteed at signing.

Gray, 25, entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick of the Chiefs in 2021. Since entering the league, Gray has been the primary backup to All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce. During his first three seasons with the team, he has recorded 63 receptions on 85 targets for 640 yards and 4 touchdowns in 50 regular season games played, according to Pro Football Reference.

With one year left on his rookie deal, Kansas City wanted to lock up Gray long-term before anything significant happens with Kelce. Though Kelce is coming off of a season in which he had 93 receptions and 984 yards, he turns 35 on October 5, which means Father Time is quickly creeping up on the aging TE.

Depending on how the Chiefs end the 2024 season, it could be the last season for Kelce. Because of that, Gray could become the team’s TE1 and as a result would have a significant role in Kansas City in 2025. If that happens, then the $6 million per year the Chiefs will be paying him will be a good value for the team.

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach revealed during his August 29 press conference that the team might be planning to feature Gray more on offense this season. That shows the coaching staff’s confidence in Gray’s ability, which is a positive development for the post-Travis Kelce era in Kansas City, whenever that might be.

“It also would be good to take Noah (Gray) off some of those things,” Veach said on August 29. “I think Noah continues to get better, and he’s a guy that I think we want to feature [in the offense] a little bit more so knowing that, it’s good to have the ability to take him off of some of those special teams [reps].

X Users React to Noah Gray’s Extension

Users on X — formerly Twitter — reacted to the Chiefs planning to sign Gray to a three-year contract extension.

“This extension speaks volumes. The Chiefs clearly feel Noah Gray is an essential cog in their offense with a role that will continue to grow,” Adam Best of Arrowhead Addict wrote.

“Remember, they no longer want Grey in special teams. This is why,” another person wrote. “This also suggest they see him as their next TE1 once Kelce hangs it up. Let’s see what [Gray] actually can do.”

“Really good decision by the chiefs. Gray has been nothing but reliable for them. A no brainer to keep #83,” another person wrote.

“Love this. Solid TE2 locked up for 3 years and reasonable value Tied 19th with Juwan Johnson & Gerald Everett in AAV (average annual value), and tied 19th with Taysom Hill for [guaranteed] @ signing,” another person wrote.

Chiefs Set to Face Ravens in Season Opener

The two-time defending Super Bowl champions’ season opener against the Ravens will be played on Thursday, September 5 at 7:20 p.m. Central Time. The game will be available to watch on NBC and Peacock.