Kansas City Chiefs

At $5.5M in cap room ranked 30th in the league and already projected $9.4M over next year's line, the Chiefs are operating with almost no financial margin to address a defense full of holes.

28 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Eight starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Seven picks in the current draft including two first-rounders and 21 selections over three years gives the Chiefs a meaningful rebuild lever even if the cap leaves little room for free-agent spending.

• Acquired: Round 6 from 49ers, this draft
• Acquired: Round 3 from Rams, this draft
• Traded away: Round 6 to Jets, this draft
• Traded away: Round 7 to 49ers, this draft

The roster's clear top strength is its interior offensive line, headlined by a 95-overall Creed Humphrey and 91-overall Trey Smith, while its weakest spot is the right defensive edge, where the starter grades out near the bottom of the league.

• REDGEhigh

  R Mason Thomas is the starter but rates 31st among starters league-wide, and the depth behind him offers little insurance, making right defensive end the most pressing gap on the roster.

• RThigh

  Jaylon Moore starts at right tackle but ranks 29th among starters, and at $14.2M he is the most expensive cut candidate on the roster, creating both a schematic and financial problem.

• SAMhigh

  Jeffrey Bassa holds the starting SAM spot but grades out last among all SAM starters in the league, leaving this linebacker slot essentially unoccupied in a meaningful sense.

• SShigh

  Jaden Hicks starts at strong safety but ranks 31st league-wide at the position, and the depth chart offers no proven upgrade behind him.

• CBmedium

  L'Jarius Sneed and Mansoor Delane start at corner, but the group ranks 25th in starter quality and 13th in depth, meaning the unit is adequate only if both starters stay healthy.

• 77Kristian FultonCBKristian Fulton is the third corner on the depth chart behind Delane and Sneed, and releasing him frees $9.8M against $3.3M in dead money, making him the most cap-efficient cut available at a position where younger options are developing.Frees $9.8M · $3.3M dead
• 71Jaylon MooreRTJaylon Moore starts at a position of dire need but ranks 29th among RT starters, and cutting him frees $14.2M against $4.4M in dead money, freeing the most cap space of any move available while allowing the team to seek a genuine upgrade.Frees $14.2M · $4.4M dead
• 70Justin FieldsQBJustin Fields sits second on the quarterback depth chart behind Mahomes and contributes minimal value in that role, and releasing him costs nothing in dead money while recovering $3.0M in cap space.Frees $3.0M · $0 dead
• 62Cole ChristiansenWILLCole Christiansen is the second WILL linebacker on the depth chart at just 62 overall, and cutting him frees $1.2M with zero dead money, making it a cost-free roster cleanup.Frees $1.2M · $0 dead
• 55Chris OladokunQBChris Oladokun is the third quarterback on the depth chart at 55 overall, and his release recovers $1.0M with no dead money penalty.Frees $1.0M · $0 dead

The Chiefs remain a legitimate playoff threat as long as Patrick Mahomes is under center, and the offensive nucleus around him, including a dominant interior line featuring Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith, Kenneth Walker in the backfield, and Rashee Rice developing at receiver, gives the offense a sturdy floor. The concern is the defense, which is thin at the edges, thin at linebacker, and thin at safety, and must operate behind a nearly depleted salary cap. Chris Jones is still an elite force but is entering the late stage of his career, and Travis Kelce, despite his 91 overall, is in the twilight of his playing days, meaning succession at tight end needs to begin now. Josh Simmons at 23 with a Star dev trait is the most exciting young piece on the roster and projects as a long-term left tackle anchor. The team carries 28 expiring contracts and faces a next-year cap situation that is already $9.4M over the projected line, so roster construction in the near term will require creative cuts and restructures before any meaningful reinforcement can arrive.

The franchise was founded by oilman Lamar Hunt as a charter member of the American Football League, beginning play in 1960 as the Dallas Texans. Unable to share the Dallas market with the NFL's expansion Cowboys, Hunt moved the team to Kansas City in 1963 and renamed it the Chiefs, a nod to the nickname of Kansas City Mayor Harold Roe Bartle ("Chief"). Under coach Hank Stram, the team thrived: it won the 1962 AFL Championship as the Texans, then AFL titles again in 1966 and 1969. The Chiefs played in the first-ever Super Bowl (a 35-10 loss to Green Bay) and capped the AFL's existence by upsetting the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 in Super Bowl IV, the last game before the AFL-NFL merger took full effect in 1970. After the merger, the Chiefs entered a long competitive drought; the Marty Schottenheimer era restored a hard-nosed, defense-led identity around Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith, and Dick Vermeil's early-2000s teams featured a record-setting Priest Holmes offense, but a Super Bowl return remained elusive for half a century. The modern golden age began when Andy Reid was hired in 2013 and accelerated when the team drafted Patrick Mahomes in 2017. Mahomes took over in 2018 and the Chiefs became the NFL's defining dynasty, winning Super Bowls LIV, LVII and LVIII and reaching five Super Bowls in six years. Their bid for an unprecedented "three-peat" ended in a 40-22 Super Bowl LIX rout by the Philadelphia Eagles in February 2025. The 2025 season then unraveled: Mahomes tore his ACL (and LCL) in December, and the team finished 6-11 and out of the playoffs for the first time since 2014.