Hours before their 2024 NFL season opener, the Kansas City Chiefs and tight end Noah Gray agreed to a three-year, $18 million contract extension. The deal includes a $10.1 million signing bonus. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.
Gray, entering his fourth season, caught 28 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns as Travis Kelce’s backup last season. He started 10 games for Kansas City in a two-tight end offense and played 592 total offensive snaps (Gray played an additional 219 snaps on special teams).
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach told reporters last week that the plan is to play Gray less on special teams and give him a bigger role in the offense.
“It would be nice to take some of that stuff away from Noah,” Veach said. via the Kansas City Star“I think Noah continues to improve and he’s a player we want to see play a bigger role (in the offense).”
The Chiefs’ fifth-round pick in 2021 (No. 162 overall) out of Duke was entering the final year of his rookie contract with a $3.1 million salary. In three seasons, Gray has 63 receptions for 640 yards and four touchdowns.
With Kelce signed for one more season through 2025 and at the tail end of his likely Hall of Fame career, it appears that signing Gray to an extension also sets the team up for its future at tight end after Kelce. If Kelce plays out his contract, Gray will be signed for the next two seasons.
Gray is the second player from Kansas City’s 2021 draft class to agree to an extension. Two weeks ago, center Creed Humphrey agreed to a four-year, $72 million extension that made him the highest-paid player at his position in the NFL.
