Traditionally known for composure, unity, and a championship attitude, Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs now appear vulnerable. The reason? Super Bowl LIX and Week 1 loss. Taking this into consideration, legendary tight end Rob Gronkowski, who once said, “The Kansas City Chiefs have that, and we had it as well with the New England Patriots,” has a different version to say this time. Appearing on a recent episode of  “Up & Adams” show, Gronkowski suggested that something far more entrenched than on-field performance is perhaps falling apart in Kansas City.

Rob Gronkowski, who knows the demands of staying atop the NFL mountain after his own dynasty run with New England, began by expressing surprise at what he’s seen on the Chiefs’ sidelines. When questioned as to what surprised him about viewing Kansas City, he said, “What I was surprised about is when things aren’t going their way… when they start struggling a litte bit they start yelling at each other, their blame game starts going on, you can see them on the sidelines. And that’s not a good situation. I mean, you want to come together when you’re down… you want to come together to figure out why everything’s not going the way it needs to go. So to see them starting to point fingers is not a good sign.”

For a team long praised for composure and chemistry, Gronkowski’s observation lands like a warning siren. He stressed the importance of “getting on the same page and not be blaming others.” A subtle but pointed comparison to the disciplined culture he experienced under Bill Belichick in New England. Kansas City has weathered public hatred, and the newest of them was seen in Week 1. Chris Jones and Drue Tranquill were captured yelling at each other after Jones made a mistake on a 3rd-and-14 conversion.

And Gronkowski intimated that it’s indicative of a larger cultural change. When asked how things came to this, he referenced one of the most iconic upsets in boxing history. “Remember Mike Tyson vs. Buster Douglas,” he said. Buster Douglas ultimately defeated Mike Tyson, ending the perception of his invincibility. In Gronkowski’s opinion, the Philadelphia Eagles “opened the floodgates” in last year’s Super Bowl defeat.

“They punched [Kansas City] in the face,” he added. “The Chiefs didn’t know how to react to that because no one else was doing that….Now the Los Angeles Chargers punched them in the face. The Chiefs were like, whoa, they’re coming at us. How do we react? Well, they didn’t know how to react because no one was doing that before.’’ The message is unmistakable: once thought to be unbeaten,  the Chiefs are now beatable, and the locker room senses the pressure.

As explained by Rob, Kansas City’s aura of invincibility was broken in February when the Philadelphia Eagles shocked them in Super Bowl LIX. The Eagles, under Jalen Hurts, played aggressively throughout from the very first snap, bullying the Chiefs into errors and demonstrating to the rest of the league that the reigning champions could be bullied. That script continued into Week 1 of the new 2025 campaign.

The Chiefs fell 21-27 to their AFC West foe, the Los Angeles Chargers, a game that also saw them lose their speedy wide receiver Xavier Worthy, after he dislocated his shoulder. Without his explosiveness and already thin at the wide receiver position, Kansas City’s offense appeared strangely constrained. But that’s not only with the receivers. Perhaps, Travis Kelce‘s performance is declining, too.

Rob Gronkowski feels Travis Kelce’s role is shrinking?

Even the franchise’s most reliable star is not above change. Gronkowski bluntly stated on “Up & Adams” that Travis Kelce is increasingly a “situational football” type instead of the every-down threat who terrorized the rivals for a decade. “I don’t think that you can depend on him, first, second, third down… but in situational football, he can come through for them,” Gronkowski said.

Kelce’s Week 1 line illustrated that reality: only two receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown, much of it on a solitary 37-yard catch and run. No longer Patrick Mahomes’ favorite target on virtually every play, Kelce is being deployed more carefully, a testament to age, wear, and the club’s requirement to spread the offense.

Gronkowski went further to describe wide receiver Hollywood Brown as the player who ”needs to step up like never before”  in Week 2 against the Eagles. “This is your opportunity. Take advantage of it, Mr. Hollywood,” he stated. Brown recorded 10 receptions for 99 yards in the Week 1 game.

So, if Gronkowski’s assessment proves correct, the Chiefs are entering a new era: a more declining roster, a less dominant locker room, and a star tight end transitioning from centerpiece to role player. Will they be able to recalibrate before the season spirals? That will be one of the NFL’s defining storylines in 2025.