KANSAS CITY, Mo. — This offseason had to be different for the Kansas City Chiefs, especially during free agency.
When the window to negotiate and sign free agent deals opened last week, the Chiefs, coming off a lackluster 6-11 season, made several moves. They restructured quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ contract and traded All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie to create plenty of salary cap space in order to acquire new players. The biggest move was coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach persuading running back Kenneth Walker III, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, to join the Chiefs, signing a three-year, $43.05 million contract.
After Walker, the Chiefs signed three more veterans to bolster their defense — defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga, safety Alohi Gilman and cornerback Kader Kohou. Instead of making one big move after another, the team elected to improve its defense through shrewd acquisitions. The trio of Tonga, Gilman and Kohou will have a combined salary cap number of less than $10 million in 2026 — an amount lower than that of McDuffie ($10.8 million), whom the Chiefs dealt to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for four draft picks.
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The Chiefs are optimistic that the trio of defenders can provide versatility, stability and ease the burden for other prominent teammates. And overall, the Chiefs are hoping their 2026 free agent class can make a bigger impact than last year’s underwhelming acquisitions — a list that included left tackle Jaylon Moore, cornerback Kristian Fulton, running back Elijah Mitchell, defensive tackle Jerry Tillery and backup quarterback Gardner Minshew.
“We know we have to execute an efficient game plan in free agency,” Veach said last month at the combine.
That approach worked in 2023, when Reid and Veach gave longtime defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo three valuable defenders — defensive end Charles Omenihu, safety Mike Edwards and linebacker Drue Tranquill. Those three players did well, especially in the postseason (Omenihu recorded a strip-sack that led to a turnover, Edwards had an interception and Tranquil made a touchdown-saving tackle on Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson) to help the Chiefs win their second consecutive Super Bowl.
Last week, Gilman shared that Tranquill, his former teammate at Notre Dame and with the Los Angeles Chargers, helped convince him to reunite in Kansas City.
“I’ve been in a bunch of different systems and watched Coach Spags from afar,” said Gilman, who signed a three-year, $24 million deal. “I’ve been trying to figure out what he’s been doing for a while now on my own, but I feel comfortable playing both [safety] positions. I feel I can do anything on the field, so I’m excited to be a part of it and help this team win.”
Throughout his time in Kansas City, Spagnuolo has made the safety with the most experience one of the most important players in his complex scheme — a system known for disguised coverages and unconventional, exotic blitzes. The Chiefs under Spagnuolo have won the Super Bowl with safeties such as Tyrann Mathieu, Justin Reid and Bryan Cook, all of whom were vocal leaders while playing several positions within the secondary. Gilman understands he’s the next player to accept such responsibilities.
“I’m excited to learn and get better,” Gilman, 28, said. “I’ve evolved over the years. It’s just the mental part of coming in and finding every way to gain inches, feet, yards in this game. That’s what safety is about, seeing the whole field and playing that chess match against the best quarterbacks in the league.”
A glaring weakness in the unit last season was defensive tackle. The Chiefs lacked depth next to All-Pro Chris Jones, which led them to trade for Derrick Nnadi and re-sign Mike Pennel. Omarr Norman-Lott, last year’s second-round pick, sustained a season-ending torn ACL in his right knee in October.
After excelling with the New England Patriots last season, Tonga, 29, should offer better strength in the trenches alongside Jones. In 14 games, Tonga had a career year with the Patriots, recording 24 tackles, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits and two pass deflections.
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“I’m pumped to be able to come in and play next to Chris,” said Tonga, who signed a three-year, $21 million deal last week. “I just met him for the first time in the weight room, and he looks pretty mad about last season. I’m excited and I can’t wait to go and be able to help him out.”
The Chiefs are hoping that adding Kohou could be one of the league’s most underrated offseason moves. Kohou, 27, missed all of last season with a significant knee injury that occurred in December 2024. A three-year veteran, Kohou played 15 games in 2024, generating two interceptions, eight pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He also played 453 snaps at the nickel position, making him a possible replacement at that position in the aftermath of the McDuffie trade.
Moving forward in free agency, the Chiefs are a possible destination for pass rusher Cameron Jordan, according to a league source. The 15-year veteran spent last season with the New Orleans Saints, recording 10.5 sacks, 15 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Jones revealed that he was pitching the idea of Jordan, who’s a free agent, joining the Chiefs by posting his name on his X account last week. If Jordan did join the Chiefs, he would give them a clear upgrade on the edge while playing on the opposite side of defensive end George Karlaftis.
The Chiefs entered Thursday with around $10 million in salary cap space. In order to sign Jordan, the Chiefs could create more cap space by restructuring the contracts of Jones and center Creed Humphrey.
Outside of free agency, the Chiefs have 10 picks in next month’s draft. Two positions the Chiefs are expected to target are defensive end and cornerback. The Chiefs, holding the ninth overall pick, could bolster their pass rush and add another cornerback at No. 29 — the top selection they received from the Rams.
The Chiefs did just that with Karlaftis and McDuffie in 2022, which was the last time in the past 15 years they had two first-round picks.
“We’ve got to nail these picks,” Veach said at the combine. “That’ll be important for us to keep this run going.”
