For the first time since 2022, the Kansas City Chiefs cannot call themselves Super Bowl champions. While a runner-up finish keeps their AFC dominance alive, the Chiefs are finally forced to make adjustments in free agency during the 2025 NFL offseason.
Due to their current position, the Chiefs are one of nine teams projected to be over the salary cap limit in the offseason. Kansas City is expected to be just over $900,000 over the limit, according to Over the Cap. That puts them in the eighth-worst position in the league, including the fourth-worst in the AFC.
Despite another AFC Championship, the Chiefs have a lot of work ahead of them. Few doubted their odds of a three-peat all season with the obvious holes in their performances. The biggest headline of Kansas City’s offseason is Travis Kelce’s potential retirement, but several other veterans could potentially walk in free agency.
On the heels of one of their worst statistical seasons of the past decade, Kansas City could be more active in the 2025 NFL offseason than years prior. The Chiefs do not have the bankroll to make a big splash in free agency but can still maintain contender status with just a few tweaks to their already robust roster.
RB Elijah Mitchell
A lot went right for the Chiefs in 2024, but their rushing production took a noticeable step back. Many expected a third-year breakout for Isiah Pacheco, but the Rutgers product took a step back instead. Injuries and inefficiency limited him to just 310 rushing yards on the year, and being benched late in the year for 29-year-old Kareem Hunt.
Despite receiving more usage late in the year, Hunt’s efficiency was actually worse than Pacheco’s. The former rushing yards leader tallied just 3.6 yards per attempt, a step behind Pacheco’s 3.7. The lackluster effort left Mahomes as the team’s best rushing threat as the Chiefs recorded the lowest explosive run rate in the NFL.
Veterans Hunt and Samaje Perine hit free agency in 2025, but Pacheco will return. Regardless, the Chiefs are in dire need of backfield help. It is not time to completely give up on Pacheco just yet. Still, it would be difficult to justify entering another year slotting him in as the starter without any competition.
The 2025 running back free agency market is not as lucrative as it was a year ago. Yet, as one of the most pass-dominant offenses in the league, the Chiefs do not need to have an elite rusher in the backfield. They will have their choice from the plethora of competent mid-tier options available, including a buy-low opportunity on San Francisco 49ers’ free agent Elijah Mitchell.
In his four years in the league, Mitchell has played just 35 of a possible 72 games. Injuries are a significant concern, but he is worth the gamble for the value he will be available at. When on the field, Mitchell was arguably the team’s best pure rusher, even over Christian McCaffrey. As a rookie in 2021, he posted 963 rushing yards in just 11 games.
After sitting out all of 2024, teams will be expectedly cautious with Mitchell in free agency. The Chiefs are among the few teams who can give him a chance to earn a starting role on a high-level offense.
TE Mike Gesicki
Travis Kelce’s future with the team remains up in the air, but regardless, the Chiefs need to seek alternative tight end options in the 2025 NFL offseason. For the second consecutive season, the future Hall of Famer’s production dipped in 2024, resulting in just 823 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Kelce’s decreased usage led to increased opportunity for fourth-year Noah Gray. The 25-year-old reserve saw a career-high 57 percent offensive snap share in 2024. A lot of those snaps were spent as a blocker, but Gray also recorded a career-high 437 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
After another 20-game season, the 35-year-old Kelce continues to mull retirement more than ever. Gray, however, is signed through the 2027 season after inking an extension in the 2024 offseason. Notwithstanding Kelce’s impending decision, Mahomes’ historical success with athletic tight ends should entice the front office to explore the market.
With a long record of up-and-down success, Mike Gesicki is not the most exciting option but could be one who fits the team’s needs. Following an unsuccessful one-year stint with the New England Patriots, Gesicki rebounded in 2024 with the Cincinnati Bengals. He ended the year with 83 catches for 665 receiving yards and two touchdowns, capping off one of the best years of his tumultuous career.
Gesicki is practically a null as a blocker but would not need to thrive in that role next to Gray. His production may be unstable, but his athleticism and run-after-catch threat have never wavered. Perhaps teaming up with Andy Reid and Mahomes could be what gets his career back on track.
S Vonn Bell
The Chiefs will have several defensive needs to address in the 2025 NFL offseason. Most of the secondary will return, but safety Justin Reid will be one of the handful of starters hitting free agency and likely to depart.
Behind Reid, Kansas City has few enticing options on their current roster to replace him should he walk. Fourth-round rookie Jaden Hicks, who recorded three interceptions off the bench in 2024, would be the likely answer. Historically, Steve Spagnuolo has preferred veterans in his defense, causing the Chiefs to plausibly seek an external solution in free agency.
Nine-year veteran Vonn Bell, who returned to the Bengals in 2024, has the gritty play style to fit Spagnuolo’s desires. Bell has been a staple of the Bengals’ defense for a while but fell behind second-year Jordan Battle in 2024. Cincinnati’s system will also change with the hiring of Al Golden as defensive coordinator, likely signaling the end of Bell’s tenure.
Despite turning 30 in December 2024, Bell still proved to have a lot of tread left on his tires, even in a reserve role. With Bryan Cook’s continuous improvements, the Chiefs would not need Bell to play at the same speed as earlier in his career.
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