The Kansas City Chiefs were eliminated from postseason contention following a Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, a finish that included a devastating torn ACL injury for star QB Patrick Mahomes.

KC now flips to offseason mode with concerns at all levels of the roster, including a likely retirement from TE Travis Kelce, defensive contract decisions in the secondary, and question marks abound with offensive weapons.

The Chiefs will roll into 2026 about $34M over a projected $304M league salary cap (only the Cowboys find themselves in a worse spot). This of course includes a $78M cap hit for Mahomes, along with 36 total contracts on the books.

As of now, the Chiefs project to hold 6 draft selections in next year’s draft including what may very well be a Top 10 pick for the first time in a long time.

Early Offseason Questions

  • Will the Chiefs use 2026 as a bit of a purge year both financially and from a roster construction standpoint?
  • How aggressive will the front office be in addressing the offensive weapon issues, as more than half are slated for free agency, and those who remain have largely underperformed?

Notable Free Agents

(Current Spotrac APY Valuation)

S Bryan Cook ($14.3M)
CB Jaylen Watson ($12.6M)
TE Travis Kelce ($11M)
WR Marquise Brown ($5.7M)
LB Leo Chenal ($4.8M)
RB Isiah Pacheco ($4.6M)
ED Charles Omenihu ($3.8M)
RB Kareem Hunt ($2.1M)

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Extension Candidate

CB Trent McDuffie will be entering his 5th-year option season in 2026, set to earn a fully guaranteed $13.6M. The 25-year-old has done plenty to ensure KC he’s a worthy piece of their core going forward, currently projecting toward a 4 year, $116M extension.

Option Decision

ED Felix Anudike-Uzomah missed the entire 2025 season with a hamstring injury, and has only started 2 games since joining KC as the #31 overall pick back in 2023. The Chiefs are largely expected to decline his pending 5th-year option for 2027, setting up free agency in the following the 2026 season.

Bubble Candidates

RT Jawaan Taylor

Release Candidate

One of the bigger swing and miss signings in this recent KC stretch, Taylor has secured $60M over the last 3 seasons on the right side of Mahomes’ offensive line. The 28-year-old will be moved on from this March in favor of $7.4M of dead cap, freeing up a much needed $20M.

CB Kristian Fulton

Trade/Release Candidate

The 27-year-old started 14 games for the Chargers in 2024, but was reduced to a reserve role this season in KC, just months after signing a 2 year, $20M free agent contract. $5M of his 2026 salary is fully guaranteed, so they’ll be looking to offset that with a trade if possible. An outright release means $8M of dead cap, $5M of savings.

ED Michael Danna

Release Candidate

Danna signed a 3 year, $24 million contract back in 2024 to return to KC, but nagging injuries have reduced his role/production in each of the past two seasons. The Chiefs don’t necessarily have his replacement on the roster right now, but an outright release at some point this offseason would leave behind $2.1M of dead cap, freeing up a much needed $9M.

Potential Cap Conversions

The Chiefs currently set well over the projected $304M league salary cap threshold for 2026, but a few simple salary conversions can free up over $106M.

QB Patrick Mahomes carries a $78.2M cap hit into 2026, 2nd only to Lamar Jackson ($80.7M). KC can convert $54.5M of his compensation into signing bonus this March, freeing up $43.5M of cap space for 2026.

All $35M of DL Chris Jones’ 2026 salary is guaranteed. A full salary conversion opens up almost $27M of 2026 cap space.

G Trey Smith’s $20M salary for 2026 is fully guaranteed. A simple salary conversion (plus two void years) opens up $14.8M of space.

LB Nick Bolton’s $15M salary for 2026 is fully guaranteed. A simple salary conversion (plus three void years) opens up $10.8M of space.

C Creed Humphrey’s $14.5M salary for 2026 is fully guaranteed. A simple salary conversion (plus two void years) opens up $10.4M of space.


RELATED LINKS
2026 Chiefs Salary Cap Table
Chiefs 2026 Free Agents
Spotrac Offseason Guides