Former Vikings TE Picks the Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs employ Travis Kelce and Noah Gray at tight end, but former Minnesota Vikings tight end Robert Tonyan will return anyway.
Former Vikings TE Picks the Chiefs
Tonyan re-signed with the Chiefs this week as NFL free agency hit a fever pitch.
NFL Network‘s Tom Pelissero tweeted Tuesday, “Veteran TE Robert Tonyan signed with the Chiefs.”
Tonyan will join this Chiefs TE room:
- Travis Kelce
- Noah Gray
- Jared Wiley
- Peyton Hendershot
- Robert Tonyan
- Baylor Cupp
And here’s Tonyan’s NFL resume to date:
- Detroit Lions (2017)
- Green Bay Packers (2017–2022)
- Chicago Bears (2023)
- Minnesota Vikings (2024)
- Kansas City Chiefs (2024-)
Tonyan joined the Chiefs’ roster just before Christmas last season, and he’ll prolong the relationship this offseason, hoping to earn a roster spot in the summer. Last spring and summer, the Vikings required tight end depth because TE1 T.J. Hockenson faced a long ACL recovery, so the purple team signed Tonyan, a man on deck for tentative TE2 or TE3 duty in the Twin Cities. The plan never panned out, and Tonyan exited stage left in October.
Tonyan played 33 special teams snaps and 13 on offense in 2024 for Minnesota, and the Vikings ran out of practice squad elevations for the 30-year-old. A player can only be called up from the practice squad thrice before needing to join the 53-man roster.
The veteran tight end was hampered by back spasms during the summer, canceling his preseason participation and allowing fellow TEs like Johnny Mundt and Nick Muse to surpass him on the depth chart. The Vikings even released him amid roster trimdowns in late August but swiftly added him to the PS.
Tonyan encountered a quiet season with the Chicago Bears in 2023, receiving just 17 targets in 17 games while banking 11 receptions for 112 yards. Before 2023, Tonyan spent five seasons in Green Bay, with 1,437 yards on 148 catches for 17 touchdowns in 68 games as a Packer. At times, he was one of Aaron Rodgers’ favorite targets.
He was the most recent in a long list of Packers defectors to join the Vikings in the last few years, including Bashaud Breeland, Chandon Sullivan, Za’Darius Smith, Dean Lowry, Aaron Jones — and Tonyan.
The Chiefs disappointingly lost Super Bowl LIX to the Philadelphia Eagles and are using the offseason to rebound, perhaps to their dynastic form. They’ve signed offensive tackle Jaylon Moore, running back Elijah Mitchell, and cornerback Kristian Fulton so far in free agency.
Kansas City also employs former Vikings linebacker Blake Lynch.
Tonyan will turn 31 next month.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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