My friends and family know that I’m a die-hard Kansas City Chiefs fan. They’ve been my #1 team since 1993, when Joe Montana, my favorite quarterback of all-time, was traded from my formerly beloved San Francisco 49ers to my 2nd favorite team - thanks to Christian Okoye and Derrick Thomas on Tecmo Super Bowl - the Chiefs. It became sweeter, when just a few months later, they signed RB Marcus Allen from the Los Angeles Raiders…my older brother Chad’s all-time favorite team. The rivalry has been lively ever since.

If you’re an NFL fan, you know the Chiefs had a wild year: Patrick Mahomes tearing his ACL capped off their first losing season in the Andy Reid-era. It all sucked.

My friends and family know that I also live for the NFL offseason; I’ve already done more than 20 mock drafts and have spent a few late nights running scenarios on Madden with Franchise Mode. There’s not much more I like to do than to pretend I’m the GM of an NFL team, tasked with rebuilding for the season ahead.

And that’s what I’m doing in this article. I’m putting on my Brett Veach (GM of the Chiefs) hat and I’m going to town.

Position-by-position, here’s how I would rebuild the Kansas City Chiefs for the 2026 season:

QUARTERBACK

Patrick Mahomes is still the best quarterback in football. This offseason is going to be about building a good enough team around him, but he may not be available to begin the season due to the ACL & LCL tears that ended in 2025 campaign. If anyone is going to come back early, it’s Patrick, but just in case, this club needs to have a better option behind him to get this team through training camp and to start the year, and be a viable backup...bringing back Carson Wentz or Gardner Minshew cannot be the call. If I were Brett Veach, I’m planning to go hard at two players who are already being talked about as being coveted around the league:

Jimmy Garoppolo. He’s 34, but he’s experienced, has led a team to the Super Bowl, and most of all, he spent the last 2 seasons as Matthew Stafford’s backup, learning under Sean McVay, Mike LaFleur, Dave Ragone and Nate Scheelhaase. I’ll take that.
Tyson Bagent. This 25-year old hasn’t played much since going 2-2 in 4 starts in 2023, but he just spent the year playing for offensive wizard Head Coach Ben Johnson, who turned Caleb Williams from question mark to QB1. The running backs coach in Chicago this past year? Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy. If EB is bringing anything down from the Windy City, it’d be nice to have a lively young arm who knows what he wants to do. Bagent is under contract and Arizona is rumored, so this would have to involve a trade. Bagent’s cap number is $4.75M this season and the Bears are $4M over the cap before any cuts or restructures. The Chiefs need a QB and draft picks, having only 5 in this year’s selection process; could Brett Veach cook up a stunning deal with old pal Ryan Poles, who would send Bagent to KC with picks for a player like Trent McDuffie…or even Rashee Rice or Chris Jones?

RUNNING BACK

Rumor has it that the Jets are going to put some kind of tag on Breece Hall. While some say the free agent market is exciting this offseason, nothing about Kenneth Walker, Travis Etienne, Hall, or Rico Dowdle excites me, and we’ll have to overpay for any of them. That means the Chiefs, while re-signing Kareem Hunt as the short-yardage back, keeping Dameon Pierce around for an offseason, and maybe adding a receiving back like Kenneth Gainwell in free agency, will look to the Draft for an answer.

Chiefs fans want Jeremiyah Love, but he’s not going to get past Washington at 7 or New Orleans at 8, and I think even the Titans could sniff him at 4.

So that means the Chiefs reach a little bit to take his backup, and the 2nd best running back in this draft, Jadarian Price in the 2nd round. While I think most would say pick #40 is too high, for the Chiefs, it’s the right fit, and if they can trade back and still get him, that’s great. But Price brings what they lack: fluidity, explosion, the ability to read the hole quickly, and the ability to be on the field on 3rd down. Price is strong, quick, isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder, and that’s because he’s carrying a giant chip on it for coming into the NFL as a backup in college. The Chiefs are an ideal fit for him and it fills our need perfectly.

But wait, there’s more.

With Mahomes coming back from the knee, Kelce being very old, the WR room being suspect, and having added a new mauler at RT (see below), this Chiefs team is going to focus on running the football finally.

That means the Return of the Fullback.

Two-time Michigan captain and Lowman Award winner as the nation’s best fullback, Max Bredeson is a Chiefs after KC acquires a 7th round pick in this year’s draft via trade.

WILD CARD: instead of bringing Kareem back, the Chiefs sign David Montgomery, who is released by the Lions after failing to find a trade partner.

WIDE RECEIVER

Yes, the Chiefs will sign Tyreek Hill this season. Yes, this season, not this offseason, as Hill has another surgery and doesn’t expect to be ready until possibly the middle of 2026. But it simply makes too much sense for him not to come home to KC. He’ll be a bonus to the WR room at that point, though, not a focus, because after the Jets use a tag on Breece Hall, the Chiefs decide to spend their money at their next biggest position of need by going to get the best deep threat in football right now: Colts WR Alec Pierce.

Pierce doesn’t catch a lot of passes - he caught 37 in 2024 and 47 last in 2025 - but he sure makes the most of it, averaging 22.3 and 21.3 yards per catch, respectively. The Chiefs value that player; it’s why we employed Sammy Watson and MVS. But Pierce is better than those guys by a long stretch, and he achieved what he did the last 2 years in Indy catching passes from Anthony Richardson, Joe Flacco, Sam Ehlinger, Daniel Jones…and Philip Rivers. In KC, when Mahomes is healthy, he’ll record his best numbers yet. Travis Kelce would certainly cheer for another Cincinnati Bearcat to line up with on offense.

He’ll pair with Xavier Worthy, but not Rashee Rice, which is why the team makes the move to bring back Hill before long. Rice will be suspended and I expect the Chiefs to release him at some point.

So who else is going to catch passes for KC?

Jalen Royals must be ready. He was drafted as Rice insurance, and that’s who he has to be.

If the Chiefs want to look to a veteran, they supposedly had interest in Christian Kirk several seasons ago; now 30 years old, he could play the role of JuJu Smith-Schuster, though he’s nowhere near the blocker. Wild card? Mike Evans. Rumors are that he’s eying Buffalo, but if it doesn’t work out? The next best place to look for a ring is in KC. But he’s also aging and his production has dropped due to injury, and he may still command a hefty payday.

What this all leaves though is the Chiefs without a player who can play primarily in the slot and can return kicks.

If the WR room is Pierce, Worthy, Hill (eventually), Royals, and Kirk or another young player, that leaves the 6th WR spot open for someone who can do just that…and this one probably won’t cost them a draft pick:

Illinois WR/KR Hank Beatty.

Beatty is an outstanding returner, breaking Red Grange’s 102-year old return yards record last season, but blossomed into a reliable target this year as well, catching 70 passes for 864 yards and 3 TDs, rushing for another.

He runs like Wes Welker.

We have a guy on our coaching staff named Chad O’Shea. Chad coached Wes Welker. I’d like to see him work with Beatty.

Somewhere in here, we need another body; the Chiefs only have 5 draft picks, and I’d like to see them acquire more, and use one of them on receiver late on Day 2 or early on Day 3.

TIGHT END

One. Last. Ride.

No chance Travis goes out like that. He’ll be back in 2026 for his swan song. One last run with Pat.

Where things get interesting is that the Chiefs should move on from Noah Gray. He’s got a $7M cap charge this season and cutting him saves about $4M. If it comes down to cutting Gray or Tranquill to create cap space, I’m keeping Drue 7 days a week.

The Chiefs could look to free agency to bolster the TE corps, which will undoubtedly get work to keep Kelce fresh for a playoff run. Dallas Goedert, David Njoku, Darren Waller, and Cade Otton are all names to watch as players who could love to play in the system that has made Travis a lot of money, and none of those players should break the bank.

In the draft, I’d then target 6’7” receiving specialist Tanner Koziol from Houston or a Cincinnati Bearcat Joe Royer on Day 3. Koziol had 74 catches for 727 yards and 6 TDs for the Cougars in 2025 and 94 catches for 840 yards and 8 TDs in 2024 at Ball State. Both are athletic.

OFFENSIVE LINE

RT Jawaan Taylor, as we know, will not be back with the Chiefs in 2026. A good pass-blocker, Taylor was abysmal in the run game with a 43.8 PFF Run Blocking grade last year, good for 88 out of 89 qualifying tackles.

That changes. And while most fans think the Chiefs will keep 2025 signee Jaylon Moore on the roster, his 57.9 PFF Pass Block grade put him at 72/89 qualifying tackles, and his 62.9 PFF Run Block grade put him in the back half of the league, too. He has an $18.6M cap charge in 2026, but the Chiefs can save nearly $8M by cutting him or nearly $15M by trading him. And I would do one if I couldn’t do the other.

That’s because the Chiefs aren’t going to be in the Rueben Bain or Jeremyah Love contest in the draft - both of those players are going to be chosen earlier. That leaves the Chiefs looking at 2 of the top 3 WRs and the top 3 OTs in this draft. With league-leading contracts at both C and RG with Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith, the Chiefs opt to get a new RT on a rookie contract, letting them spend money elsewhere, landing who I think is the best Right Tackle prospect in this draft: Utah’s Spencer Fano.

A starter at Left Tackle as a freshman, Fano started 35 games as a Ute, his entire freshman season at LT before moving to RT as a sophomore. All he did from there was kick ass and earn awards. The 2025 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year is an excellent pass blocker, allowing 0 sacks and only 5 pressures and 5 hurries last season. He won the Outland Trophy and was a Lombardi Award semifinalist.

He would be a worthwhile pick at 9 overall…but with Arvell Reese, Makai Lemon, Jordan Tyson and Francis Mauigoa still on the board, the Chiefs might even be able to slide down a few spots and pick up valuable draft capital, with a team like the Dolphins at 11, Cowboys at 12, and Rams at 13 all possibly itching to come up for a pass rusher, receiver, or the other RT that should go Top 15.

After that, I would not be opposed to the Chiefs signing Andrew Wylie to compete to be the swing tackle, and I am very interested in seeing what Ethan Driskell, who missed the 2025 season, can do after another offseason in the weight room.

Interior depth needs to be addressed, and Nick Alligretti could be a cap casualty in Washington.

EDGE

We’ve gotta sign Trey Hendrickson.

The RDE position has been killing us since Frank Clark became a shell of himself. Ashton Gilotte is going to be a great rotational piece, but he’s not going to become Trey Hendrickson. This is a short-term relationship - a 1- or 2-year deal - but if we’re going to get back ahead of Bo Nix, Justin Herbert…and Fernando Mendoza…we need to solve our EDGE rusher problem.

Hendrickson will be healthy and wants to win. We can fit him under the cap - with some other moves you’ll see below - at the $25-30M per year he wants. He’ll rotate with Gilotte to stay fresh for the stretch, and Felix Anudike-Uzomah should be able to contribute there as well.

On the left side, George Karlaftis needs to take another step, but his relentless effort is still an asset. We need a player behind him, though, and drafting Iowa’s Max Llewellyn, Ohio State’s Caden Curry, or Michigan’s Derrick Moore would make me very happy. Depending on what we can get in the trades you’ll see shortly, perhaps Romello Height would be available in Round 2…or late in the 1st.

Mike Danna will be released to save nearly $9M against the cap.

INTERIOR DEFENSIVE LINE

TRADE!

Chris Jones is G.O.N.E. If I were Brett Veach, this is the first move I’d make this offseason. I am absolutely exhausted with Jones’ inconsistent effort and he is a total liability against the run. Jones’s pass rush production dropped last year, recording just 7 sacks; while recording high numbers of pressures and hits, it signified that he’s not getting home like he used to, and not like his contract warrants. He may as well not be on the field in the run game; he ranked 28th/134 DTs overall, despite being effective as a pass rusher. The Chiefs trade him, getting a late 1st or 2nd round pick and more that lets the team clear $15M in cap this year. They take a $30M dead cap hit, but clear out $38M and $44M for ‘27 and ‘28, when they need to rework the Mahomes contract.

So who does that leave to play IDL? The only significant DT we have coming back is Omarr-Norman Lott, who is recovering from a torn ACL, so the Chiefs have to make some moves, and we spend at least one mid-round pick on a run stuffing defensive tackle, like Oklahoma’s Gracen Holton, Florida State’s Darrell Jackson Jr, or Michigan’s Rayshaun Benny on Day 3.

That won’t be enough, so we’ll look to the veteran free agent pool. Sheldon Rankins still performed well against the run last season while adding 3 sacks. DJ Reader, John Franklin-Myers, and David Onyemata…all players well into their 30’s…are still playing respectable football and won’t command huge contracts. Calais Campbell is 40-years old by ranked higher overall in PFF score last year than Chris Jones.

We drafted Norman-Lott to pass rush from the interior, but what we need are run-stoppers who can eat up blocks and keep our linebackers clean while Karlaftis, Hendrickson, Gillotte and FAU get to the quarterback…along with everyone else that Spags will blitz. We’ll have some work to do after saying goodbye to Jones, but we’ll be better for it.

LINEBACKER

We’ve got to start planning for life without Drue Tranquill.

I love Drue Tranquill. I actually don’t think we cut him this offseason; he played 884 snaps for us and PFF ranked him the #13 overall LB in the league in 2025. You don’t cut a guy like that to say $6M. And Drue might have more heart than anyone on the entire D.

But he’s 30. And Bolton has been getting banged up. And if Chenal could’ve taken either of their jobs, he would have by now.

Leo did score a 75.1 PFF overall grade, good for 18/88 for LBs, but he played half the snaps that Tranquill did. That’s why I have him pictured, and why I think he resigns with the Chiefs as their SAM linebacker and a core special teamer. He’ll get a Tranquill-esque contract to stay in KC.

But we need a plan for the future at LB beside him…and by way of a trade, the Chiefs pick up another Day 2 selection, and with it, they draft the best linebacker in college football, and it makes Texas Tech alum Patrick Mahomes very happy: Jacob Rodriguez.

First of all, did you know that Rodriguez’s wife serves as a Blackhawk pilot in the United States Army?! That fact, on top of him being a stellar football player, and that rockin’ mullet and mustache will make him an instant fan-favorite in KC.

It will also make him the heir-apparent to Tranquill…and big insurance for Bolton.

P.S. The Chiefs can cut Bolton in 2027 and save $15M, while only taking a $4M dead cap hit.

Rodriguez was a Heisman-finalist and won 5 major awards after the 2025 season: the Bednarik, Butkis, Bronko Nagurski, Lombardi, and Pony Express awards. The Big 12 Player of the Year will only fall to Day 2 because of his size (he’s the same weight and only an inch shorter than Tranquill, and he’s the same weight and 2” taller than Bolton) and athleticism, but someone is going to get a stud who will play well for a long time.

It might as well be the Chiefs.

CORNERBACK

TRADE!

Yes, the Chiefs should trade their 2 best defensive players this offseason…including Trent McDuffie.

Here’s the simple reason why: Chris Jones is on the decline and has a horrible contract. Trent McDuffie is a great young player…but he’s probably hit his ceiling, and he’s best utilized in this defense in the slot, and he’s going to want to be paid like a true outside cornerback. Our two outside cornerbacks for 2026 are already on the roster in Nohl Williams and Kristian Fulton, and I’m not against a Jaylen Watson re-signing at the right price.

McDuffie’s deal is going to be big and someone will pay him. It just shouldn’t be us.

Especially when Sauce Gardner just got traded for (2) 1st-round picks and a player.

The Jets, Browns, and Cowboys all have an extra 1st-round pick in this draft and each of those teams needs help at CB. If we manage to get Love at 9 and Dallas offers us 20, letting us get a RT or WR? I’ll take that deal.

Of course, we’ll need to replenish at the position, but this draft has some intriguing players and there are a few solid CBs in free agency. I’d love to see Spags & Dave Merritt coach up 6’4” Riq Woolen.

My biggest concern here is who plays over the slot. Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds might be a nice solution on Day 2 that could be acquired in the Jones & McDuffie trade hauls.

SURPRISE: The Tennessee Titans cut L’Jarius Sneed, who signs with the Chiefs for <$5 million on a 1-year deal and returns to form, providing valuable depth.

SAFETY

Back in 1996, the Chiefs were coming off a devastating finish to a 13-3 season, ended by the kicker who shall not be named. In that ‘95 season, the Chiefs played 4 savvy veterans at the safety position: Mark Collins, Brian Washington, Martin Bayless and William White. All 4 of those players would remain on the team in ‘96, but it would be the final year in the pros for Bayless and Washington, while Collins and White would hang around the league for another season or two. And that’s because the Chiefs rostered 6 safeties that year, including 2 rookies: 1st round pick Jerome Woods and 2nd round pick Reggie Tongue. That duo would go on to lead the back end of the Chiefs defense for 4 seasons before Tongue departed for Seattle…and it’s time the Chiefs repeat history a little bit.

Bryan Cook is a free agent; he’s only 26 years old and was a solid starter for the Chiefs, but he’s going to get a nice payday in free agency. His partner back there, while a favorite of Coach Spags, has driven Chiefs fans nuts: Chamarri Conner, and he’s entering a contract year, while Jaden Hicks, who failed to develop into a starting replacement for Justin Reid in ‘25, is the only other noteworthy safety under contract with the team.

It’s time we restock the back end of the D…and we do it in the draft with a couple of Texas boys.

With the 109th pick in the 4th round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs should select Michael Taaffe, FS, Texas.
With the 146th pick in the 5th round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs should select Cole Wisniewski, SS, Texas Tech.

If they need to draft them sooner, as in the 3rd and 4th rounds, I’m a-okay with that, because these white boys can play.

Taafe is a Texas boy through-and-through; a 5th-gen Longhorn who walked on instead of taking Ivy League offers and became a scholarship winner and 3-year starter and an All-American. He becomes the new QB of the secondary, a role he filled for the Longhorns. He’s great in coverage and has a nose for the ball, worked high, low, and in the slot, improved his tackling, and played his best ball in big games. His frame and speed mean he’ll have a longer career as a center fielder, and that’s what he’ll be for the Chiefs in 2026 and for years to come.

Wisniewski is special. This 6’4”, 220lbs stud glides around the field effortlessly, plays with controlled aggression, attacks downhill with ease, can blitz, smack, tackle, and defend the pass. He is our new SS in the box and a weapon Spags will love in the slot as a blitzer. He is a tone-setter who shined at North Dakota State and didn’t miss a beat at Texas Tech. He is a poor man’s Kyle Hamilton.

What I like about both of these guys is their maturity; Wisniewski is 23 but has been married for 2 years and Taaffe was a captain for the Longhorns. We need leadership on defense, particularly in the secondary, and these guys bring maturity, reliability, and steadiness.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Chiefs have two good ones in Harrison Butker and Matt Araiza; despite an off-year from Butker, he’s been too clutch over the years to walk away and it would cost the Chiefs $2.7M to cut him; I expect them to restructure his $7.3M cap number, saving $3M in the process. Araiza is an Exclusive Rights Free Agent with a $1.075 tender; I anticipate him playing on that again in 2026, although an extension wouldn’t surprise me. The biggest question will be whether 37-year old James Winchester comes back for another year to long snap to them both.

conclusion

Based off of this, here is a potential 2026 Kansas City Chiefs roster:

QB: Patrick Mahomes, Jimmy Garappolo

RB: Jadarian Price, Kenneth Gainwell, David Montgomery OR Kareem Hunt, Breshard Smith

FB: Max Bredeson

WR: Alec Pierce, Xavier Worthy, Jalen Royals, Christian Kirk, Tyreek Hill, Hank Beatty

TE: Travis Kelce, Cade Otton, Tanner Koziol OR Joe Royer

LT: Josh Simmons, Spencer Fano, Esa Pole

LG: Kingsley Suamataia, Nick Alligretti

C: Creed Humphrey, Nick Alligretti

RG: Trey Smith, Nick Alligretti

RT: Spencer Fano, Ethan Driskell

LDE: George Karlaftis, Max Llewellyn OR Caden Curry

LDT: Omarr Norman-Lott, David Onyemata

RDT: John Franklin-Myers, Rayshaun Benny

RDE: Trey Hendrickson, Ashton Gillotte, Felix Anudike-Uzomah

WILL: Drue Tranquill, Jeffrey Bassa

MIKE: Nick Bolton, Jacob Rodriguez

SAM: Leo Chenal, Cooper McDonald

CB: Nohl Williams, Kristian Fulton, L’Jarius Sneed, Christian Roland-Wallace, Kevin Knowles

SLOT: D’Angelo Ponds, Chamarri Conner

FS: Michael Taafe, Chamarri Conner

SS: Cole Wisniewski, Jaden Hicks

K: Harrison Butker

P: Matt Araiza

LS: James Winchester

I await your slings and arrows.

MTH

2026 Offseason Plan: Kansas City Chiefs