The Kansas City Chiefs added tight end Ricky Seals-Jones in free agency, but they might have lost out on him if it wasn’t for the experiences of former Chiefs TE Demetrius Harris.
Harris and Seals-Jones spent the 2019 NFL season as teammates on the Cleveland Browns. In that short time, they developed a friendship and a level of trust with one another. Given how unique the NFL free agency period has been without team visits due to the COVID-19 pandemic, players must have a certain level of trust in their new organizations. That was made a lot easier because of the things that Harris told Seals-Jones about the Chiefs franchise.
“I felt like Kansas City was honest,” Seals-Jones told Chiefs media members. “Also talking with Demetrius (Harris) all of the things that he had said previously they had said now in the present. It was like what they said and what he said were not two different things. You got a player who left and still shows respect for that organization and loves that organization. So that gives you a little bit of confidence when you’re going in and talking to another team. And they love Demetrius, so it was like perfect and that kind of helped. Then the offense and how they use their 12 personnel, it kind of all fit in perfect for me.”
Of course, there were some other things that influenced Seals-Jones and his decision to join Kansas City. It doesn’t hurt that they’re the reigning Super Bowl champions and have Andy Reid, who Seals-Jones called a “Hall of Fame coach.”
It also doesn’t hurt that when he first visited Arrowhead Stadium with the Arizona Cardinals during the 2018 season, the Chiefs Kingdom made an impression.
“Crazy fanbase,” Seals-Jones said. “That fanbase is, I would say, top five in the NFL. Great atmosphere. I’m excited to be a part of it and not against it.”
Had Harris not told Seals-Jones about his experiences in Kansas City, it’s entirely possible that he would be elsewhere. For now, it appears that the perfect storm of friendship, franchise, fit and a crazy fanbase landed Seals-Jones and his family in Kansas City for the 2020 NFL season.
