he Kansas City Chiefs agreed with tight end Noah Gray on a three-year, $18 million contract extension hours before they played the Ravens to open the NFL season Thursday night, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.

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The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed. Gray was in the final year of his rookie contract and was due to make $3.1 million this season. The extension takes him through the 2027 season.

The Chiefs selected Gray in the fifth round of the 2021 draft out of Duke, and he has been an integral understudy to star tight end Travis Kelce in their offense. Gray has appeared in 85 games over the past three seasons, the two most recent ending with Super Bowl rings, and has 63 catches for 640 yards and four touchdowns.

His best season came last year, when the 25-year-old Gray caught 28 passes for 305 yards and two scores.

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“I think Noah continues to get better, and he’s a guy that I think we want to feature (in the offense) a little bit more,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said on a conference call with local reporters last week.

The Chiefs have been working to secure several key players from the 2021 rookie class. They gave second-round pick Creed Humphrey a four-year, $72 million extension that made him the highest-paid center in NFL history, and they have expressed an interest in keeping fellow second-round pick Nick Bolton and right guard Trey Smith beyond this season.

“We obviously would love to be able to have everyone stay. It’s not really too much on my mind to figure that out,” Humphrey said. “For me, it’s just now focusing on football for me. Focusing on this year, focusing on the days ahead, things like that, and getting ready for another run at this thing. So we’re excited about it and ready to roll.”