It’s been a long time since the Kansas City Chiefs needed a new No. 1 tight end.
Travis Kelce very well may return in 2025 after a disappointing Super Bowl loss, but that hasn’t stopped social media commenters from already (perhaps jokingly) appointing his replacement.
The subject of the comments is Robert Tonyan, who the Chiefs reportedly signed on Tuesday, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Tonyan played his first five NFL seasons for the Packers before joining the Bears in 2023 and Vikings in 2024, making this his first foray outside the NFC North.
The 6-foot-5 target caught 17 touchdowns in his time with Green Bay, including an 11-TD season in 2020 that included 52 catches for 586 yards.
The 30-year old only appeared in five games for the Vikings in 2024 and didn’t make a catch.
One poster on X wrote, “Nice signing to replace Kelce. Kelce washed up anyways.”
Another kept it simple: “Goodbye Kelce.”
Kelce, for his part, appears to be coming back. On his New Heights podcast, he said after the Super Bowl, “I feel like I owe the guys that I come into that building with a whole lot more effort and focus.”
Tonyan never played against the Chiefs while with the Packers due to injury. In his lone game with the Bears against KC in 2023, Tonyan had no catches while Kelce caught seven passes for 69 yards and a score.
