Fowler's Mason Pline aims to make most of NFL opportunity with Kansas City Chiefs

Mason Pine hasn't been a pro football player for long.

But the Fowler native has quickly discovered there is nothing linear about a path in the NFL.

Pline, a 6-foot-7 tight end, has experienced that through his personal highs and lows since landing his first opportunity as a pro in 2024 when he signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent.

Since then, Pline had a second stint with the New Orleans Saints in 2025, only to have that derailed by a season-ending shoulder injury suffered in a preseason game.

With that injury now behind him, Pline is ready to take a step forward in his NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs. Pline reached a deal with the Chiefs after being invited to a mini-camp tryout and is excited about his latest opportunity.

"It's very humbling and (I'm) very honored because they obviously have had a lot of recent success and have a very good coaching staff and a very good team," Pline said. "I'm just excited for the opportunity to be a part of it and hopefully be able to contribute. It's a big confidence boost going in and working out for them and being able to do enough to earn that contract for now and hopefully keep earning whatever is given to me coming this fall. 

"(I'm) definitely very excited about it. There's an unreal amount of talent on the team and you couple that with the coaching staff we have and how seasoned and smart they are and how good they are at their jobs. I'm very excited."

Pline felt more prepared to earn a roster spot while in training camp with Saints in 2025 before his hopes were derailed when he dislocated his shoulder and tore his labrum in a game against the Los Angeles Chargers. He is taking that same confidence into his first camp with the Chiefs.

"The more you're around the game, the more you're learning and the more comfortable you feel going into a fall camp and going into a season," Pline said. "Just being able to attack different areas of your learning — the first year it may be learning an NFL playbook and then that second year you can really understand the defense better and the nuances to certain things within the offense. You're constantly learning. Having vets in the room like Travis (Kelce) — there's nobody better to learn from in a lot of arguments. 

"It's keeping the right headspace and staying ready."

Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway and X @briancalloway.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Fowler's Mason Pline aims to make most of NFL opportunity with Kansas City Chiefs