Ahead of the 2024 NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs are putting a lot of effort into strengthening their roster. The
Chiefs lost a lot of players to free agency even though they signed a number of veterans again.
“The Chiefs won’t tender an offer to RFA TE Jody Fortson but still hope to bring him back once free agency begins
Wednesday,” wrote Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest on March 11. On March 14, however, Fortson’s signing with the
Miami Dolphins was revealed by the Katz Brothers.
Fortson and the Dolphins agreed to a one-year, $942,000 contract. The 28-year-old told reporters he was eager to
contribute in Miami and gave his time spent with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce a lot of credit.
According to Fortson’s statement to reporters, “Travis Kelce is my favorite teammate of all time on any level—Pop
Warner, high school, or college.” “Not just because he’s a wonderful person, but also because he took the time to try
and teach me how to be a tight end.” He was not required to. He simply demonstrated his unwavering love and
expertise of the game.
The former Valdosta State student gave his mentor the best compliment imaginable. Being in a room with Kelce
moved me forward light years from where I would have been if I hadn’t been in that room with perhaps the greatest
player of all time. You can only obtain such knowledge if you’re with someone who is familiar with his methods of
assault and his perspective on coverage like this.
He gained patience and learnt to calm down his game from Kelce. Working with the future Hall of Famer was
described by Fortson as a “extraordinary blessing.”
Fortson won’t be the only tight end to leave the Chiefs in 2024, most likely. Irv Smith Jr., a former tight end with the
Cincinnati Bengals, announced his arrival to the Chiefs on March 12 via ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Smith and Kansas
City agreed to a $1.2 million, one-year contract.
Smith’s addition to the team seems to be an indication that tight end Blake Bell will not be staying in Kansas City.
Smith, 25, is seen to be superior to Bell.
Bell, who was selected by the Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft, recently concluded his fourth season
there. He played for the Dallas Cowboys for a year in 2020 after helping the Chiefs win the Super Bowl, and then he
returned to Kansas City in 2021. He inked a $1.2 million, one-year contract with the Chiefs in March of last year.
