Kansas City Chiefs

With just $7.8M in current room, ranked 31st in the league, and a projected deficit of $18.4M next season, the Chiefs are operating in one of the tightest cap situations in football.

17 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Eight starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Seven picks in the current cycle including two first-rounders, and 21 picks across three years, give Kansas City a meaningful rebuild runway despite the cap crunch.

• 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 top strength is a dominant offensive line interior anchored by the 96 overall Creed Humphrey and 93 overall Trey Smith, while the weakest spot is the right edge group, which lacks any starter capable of consistently generating pressure.

• REDGEhigh

  R Mason Thomas starts at right edge with Felix Anudike-Uzomah behind him, but neither inspires confidence against top competition and the unit ranks near the bottom of the league at both the starter and depth levels.

• RThigh

  Jaylon Moore holds the starting right tackle spot but grades out near the bottom of the league at the position, and Diego Pounds offers little behind him, making this the most urgent offensive line investment.

• SAMhigh

  Jeffrey Bassa starts at SAM but the unit ranks last among all 32 teams at the position, with no meaningful depth behind him or Jack Cochrane to change that picture.

• SSmedium

  Jaden Hicks starts at strong safety over Jadon Canady, and while depth is reasonable, the starter ranks in the bottom quarter of the league, leaving a clear quality gap.

• CBlow

  Mansoor Delane starts with Kristian Fulton behind him and L'Jarius Sneed third, giving the room some veteran presence, but the group collectively ranks outside the top 20 in depth across the league.

• LGlow

  Kingsley Suamataia starts at left guard ahead of Mike Caliendo, and while the position is not critical, the depth ranks near the bottom of the league and both players are replaceable.

• 72Jaylon MooreRTJaylon Moore starts at a position ranked 28th in the league and contributes little, and releasing him frees $14.2M against $4.4M in dead money, making this the highest-value roster move available.Frees $14.2M · $4.4M dead
• 70Justin FieldsQBJustin Fields sits third on the depth chart behind Mahomes and Garrett Nussmeier and has no path to meaningful snaps, and cutting him frees $3.0M with zero dead money.Frees $3.0M · $0 dead
• 65Mike CaliendoLGMike Caliendo is the second-string left guard behind Kingsley Suamataia at 65 overall, and releasing him frees $1.1M against just $200K in dead money, a clean and low-cost roster trim.Frees $1.1M · $200.0K dead
• 79Kristian FultonCBKristian Fulton is the second cornerback on the depth chart behind Mansoor Delane, and at $9.8M freed against $3.3M in dead money, he represents a meaningful cap recovery at a position where younger options like Nohl Williams exist behind him.Frees $9.8M · $3.3M dead
• 73Noah GrayTENoah Gray sits second at tight end on the depth chart but costs $2.5M to free against $4.5M in dead money, making this a cap-negative cut that should only be considered if a better tight end option is available.Frees $2.5M · $4.5M dead

The Chiefs remain a genuine contender on the strength of Patrick Mahomes and a nucleus that includes Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Kenneth Walker, and Rashee Rice. The short-term challenge is managing a roster built for the present against a cap that is among the tightest in the league, with $7.8M in current room and a projected deficit of $18.4M next season. Chris Jones is still the best player on the defense but is entering the later stage of his career, and Travis Kelce, well into the twilight of his playing days, will need a legitimate successor at tight end sooner rather than later. The young core of Josh Simmons at left tackle and Mansoor Delane at cornerback gives the franchise real developmental pillars to build around, and George Karlaftis provides a credible presence on the left edge. The right side of both lines and the linebacker corps at SAM are pressing concerns that roster moves and draft capital must address. With seven picks in the current draft cycle and 21 picks across the three-year window, the Chiefs have the resources to reload, but smart prioritization of cuts and contract decisions will determine whether they sustain their window or allow it to close.

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.