Andy Reid: We kept Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce…

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Many were surprised when reports started to emerge that the Chiefs were on the verge of trading receiver Tyreek Hill.

But that wasn’t the case for two of Kansas City’s most important players.

During his video conference at the start of the offseason program, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said he and General Manager Brett Veach kept quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce in the loop, telling them that the decision was made and that the Chiefs had a clear plan moving forward.

“Myself and Brett kept it wide open with Patrick,” Reid said, via Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com. “As part of playing that [quarterback] position, there’s a pretty good chance there’s change going to take place throughout your career, and so that’s all part of it.

“I also mentioned it to [Kelce] just so he had a head’s up on it, too. Those guys are very close — the three of them have had a lot of production for us. It’s important that they see that part of it. That’s part of this game, and change does take place. You beat around the bush on it, I don’t think that’s good either. I’m kind of upfront.”

Kelce is the Chiefs’ longest-tenured player and Mahomes is arguably the best quarterback in the league, which makes it a smart strategy to keep both of them in the loop. Whether or not the players liked the move, they at least had it explained to them before everything became public.