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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Jody Fortson.
The Kansas City Chiefs have a rich history at the tight end position.
Travis Kelce, who is returning for a 14th season in 2026, is arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history. Also in that conversation is Tony Gonzalez, who played in Kansas City from 1997-2008. The Chiefs have also had a few “what ifs” when it comes to the tight end position. Among those is Jody Fortson, who signed with Kansas City as an undrafted free agent in 2019.
Former Kansas City Chiefs TE Jody Fortson Attempting NFL Comeback
According to a report from NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Fortson is visiting with the Tennessee Titans on Thursday as he attempts to return to the league.
Ian Rapoport
Former #Chiefs TE Jody Fortson is visiting the #Titans today.
The free agent has been out of football since tearing his meniscus and ACL last year in a preseason game with Kansas City. Now, he’s 100% healthy.
It was not last season, but rather in October of 2024, in which Fortson tore his ACL. He was not on a roster during the 2025 season. Fortson’s NFL career has been plagued by major injuries. In 2021 he tore his left Achilles, ending his season after six games. In 2022 he battled through numerous ailments and his season ended prematurely once again with an elbow injury.
Fortson then missed the entire 2023 season after suffering a shoulder injury during training camp. Following a short stint with the Miami Dolphins during the 2024 preseason, he returned to Kansas City in September of that year. Unfortunately, Fortson tore his ACL just one month later in Week 8 a matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
When healthy, Fortson displayed excellent receiving and blocking skills. At 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, he was a huge mismatch for opposing defenders and a weapon near the goal line. Fortson has 15 career receptions for 160 yards and four touchdowns in 22 games played. Now 30 years old and approximately a year and a half recovered from his ACL injury, we’ll see if he has enough left in the tank to get another shot to play.
Examining the Current State of Chiefs TEs
Travis Kelce
GettyChiefs TE Travis Kelce
As mentioned above, Kelce will be Kansas City’s unquestioned starter once again in 2026. He may not quite be in his prime anymore, but is still among the most productive tight ends in the NFL. Last season Kelce finished fourth at the position in receiving yards with 851 and sixth in receptions with 76.
His connection with Mahomes is among the best quarterback-pass catcher duos in NFL history. Kelce is not only a master route runner, but great at improvisation. He should continue to be Mahomes go-to target on third downs, as well as a matchup nightmare in the redzone.
Perhaps more importantly than anything, Kelce has started at least 15 games in every season except his rookie year. In 2026 he will lead a tight end corps that also features Noah Gray, Jared Wiley, Tre Watson, and Jake Briningstool. Gray is a solid backup, while Wiley and Briningstool are raw players with tremendous athletic upside.
The Chiefs could look to add another tight end in next month’s draft. Some have predicted they could even use their No. 9 overall pick on Oregon’s Kenyon Sidiq. If that happens, Kelce and Sidiq would make for a dynamic duo, and Kansas City would have their tight end of the future when Kelce finally decides to call it a career.