Kansas City

Chiefs

McDuffie is entering the fifth-year option season on his rookie contract and the Chiefs could chop down his cap number for 2026 with an extension. Forced to play outside more over the past few years, McDuffie finally managed to be left off an All-Pro team in 2025. He managed a 75.6 PFF grade — as opposed to 82.0 and 84.8 the two seasons before that — in 688 snaps with the Chiefs while dealing with a knee injury.

Kelce has reportedly been in touch with Andy Reid and the Chiefs in recent weeks after the Chiefs inexplicably missed the postseason. Kelce, 36, has mulled retirement in each of the past three offseasons and seems more serious about the prospect of hanging it up following the disappointment of 2025. “We are prepared for either scenario,” Veach said Tuesday. Kelce caught 76 passes for 851 yards and five touchdowns in 2025. Only five tight ends had more receptions than Kelce and a mere three tight ends had more receiving yards. Kelce ranked 22nd in tight end yards per route run and 14th in yards after the catch per reception.

Danna was selected by the Chiefs in the fifth-round of the 2020 NFL Draft. The veteran pass rusher totaled 21.5 sacks, 25 TFLs, and one interception in 87 games with the Chiefs and was a part of two Super Bowl-winning teams. The release of Danna, who will be 28 at the start of next season, saves the Chiefs $8.940 million against the cap. He should have plenty of suitors on the market as a pass-rushing specialist.

Etienne will become an unrestricted free agent when free agency officially begins. This would be quite the fun pairing. The Chiefs’ offense, featuring RBs Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco, averaged just 4.2 yards per carry during the regular season, ranking 20th in the NFL. Adding an explosive player like Etienne would be a significant upgrade. Both Hunt and Pacheco are set to become free agents as well.

Per Reid, Mahomes is spending seven hours per day with Chiefs assistant athletic trainer and physical therapist Julie Frymyer. Reid notes that although rehab following a significant knee injury is “not going to be a pleasant thing,” Mahomes keeps showing up and Frymyer continues to challenge him and keeps him “on task.” The positive reports continue to trickle in for the veteran quarterback, who has a chance to be ready for Week 1.

Reid added that he believes communication is “the main thing” and that he thinks Kelce wants “to move forward.” Reid declined to say whether Kelce gave him a definite answer on whether he wants to return to the Chiefs in 2026, but it sounds like things are trending in that direction. Kelce, 36, has mulled retirement over the last few offseasons, but the prevailing belief of those close to him is that he will return for at least one more season. Kelce caught 76 passes for 851 yards and five touchdowns last season while averaging 11.2 YPR, his highest yards per reception total since 2022.

Reid doesn’t expect to be out of commission for long, but it is notable that he will be unable to meet with prospects next week when so many other teams are gathering intel and speaking with the incoming class. The Chiefs hold the ninth overall pick in this year’s draft and have several positions they could consider addressing given their concerns with the wide receiver room, and a backfield that also needs to be overhauled.

It was reported last month by ESPN’s Nate Taylor that the Chiefs are “expected” to have a new starting running back for next season. While that didn’t completely rule out the idea of Pacheco re-upping with the team this offseason, Newell’s belief that Pacheco will be playing for another team in 2026 doesn’t come as much of a surprise. The Chiefs tried to ride the momentum o the 26-year-old speedster for as long as they could, but injuries have plague Pacheco for the last two seasons, and he’s averaged less than 4.0 YPC over that span. The lack of receiving upside further caps Pacheco’s upside, and as last season went on, it was apparent that a younger, more talented back would help an offense that struggled last season. Plenty of teams should be willing to take a flier on Pacheco this offseason on a one-year prove-it deal, but we would expect most of his touches to come on early downs wherever he lands.

Watson is a former seventh-rounder who has started 21 games for the Chiefs over the last two seasons. The 27-year-old corner is expected to be one of the top available free agents on the market next month, and allowed just 35 catches for 447 scoreless yards on 59 targets last season, per PFF. Watson has played exclusively on the outside since entering the league in 2022 and hasn’t allowed a receiving touchdown since 2023.

Dacoda Jones this week reportedly filed a lawsuit accusing Rice of “choking, strangling, scratching, hitting, and headbutting” Jones over a 19-month period. The lawsuit also says Rice broke furniture and punched holes in walls during arguments with Jones. Much of the violent behavior occurred while Jones was pregnant, according to the lawsuit. Rice’s alleged violence caused “bleeding, swelling, bruising, and other pain and physical injury to her neck, face, mouth, arms, legs, chest, and shoulder,” according to the lawsuit. Jones had previously accused Rice of abusive behavior in social media posts. This is Rice’s most recent run-in with the law after he fled the scene of a major automobile accident last offseason and was suspended by the NFL for the first six games of the regular season.