The NFL offseason is just a few days away from ramping all the way up, but the Kansas City Chiefs are getting out ahead of full-scale free agency by retaining one of their players.
Per multiple reports, tight end Gerrit Prince is re-signing with the team on a reserve/futures contract. He’ll be on the 90-man offseason roster once the new league year begins next week.
Prince, a Shawnee native who attended Shawnee Mission Northwest High School in Kansas, signed with Kansas City’s practice squad last August. He didn’t play in any games during this past regular season. Prior to joining the Chiefs, he was a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars organization for the 2022-23 campaign after entering the league as an undrafted free agent.
Before he arrived in the NFL, Prince spent five seasons in the college ranks. After a productive 2017 season at Butler Community College, he transferred to UAB where he ended up appearing in 37 games over the course of four years. His best effort came as a senior, when the former Second Team All-Conference USA standout hauled in 36 passes for 699 yards and 10 touchdowns.
For Prince, 26, this is another opportunity for him to stick at the pro level. While the Chiefs ended the season with a good deal of tight end talent behind Travis Kelce and Noah Gray, the free agency situations of Blake Bell and Jody Fortson (restricted) are worth monitoring. Bell’s primary value comes from his blocking ability, but he’s also well over the age-30 mark and doesn’t offer much as a pass catcher. Fortson, while intriguing, has struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons. Neither player is a lock to rejoin the team or garner big-time reps moving forward.
As free agency comes and goes and the early stages of the offseason program launch in April, organizational depth will be key. Even if Prince is an end-of-roster piece, this signing ensures he’ll have a chance to compete in the coming weeks or months. For the local product, being back with the club is a nice full-circle moment.
