2025 appeared to set Derrick Nnadi up for his first career season spent outside of Kansas City. That will not be the case for the veteran defensive tackle, however. 
The Jets are trading Nnadi to the Chiefs, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. Conditional sixth- and seventh-round picks in 2027 are being exchanged as well. Today’s move means Nnadi, whose entire seven-year NFL career has taken place in Kansas City, will return to a familiar team for the coming season.
The 29-year-old took a one-year pact in March to head to New York. That $1.42MM deal contained marginal guarantees, and the Jets will take on a dead money charge of $168K as a result of this swap. The team will gain $1.03MM in cap space, however.
Today’s trade continues the shuffling along the defensive interior overseen by the Jets in recent days. On Wednesday, a swap was worked out with the Vikings for Harrison Phillips. That same day also saw the acquisition of Jowon Briggs from the Browns. With those new faces in place, New York moved quickly in waiving Phidarian Mathis. Nnadi is also out of the picture just before the deadline for final roster cuts.
Over the course of his time in Kansas City, Nnadi raked up 87 starts across 115 appearances. The three-time Super Bowler winner was also a key figure during the postseason. The Chiefs found themselves in need of an addition along the D-line for early-down work in particular with the regular season approaching. They will rely on a familiar face to fill that void.
Nnadi made between 29 and 48 tackles during his first six Kansas City seasons. The former third-rounder’s production dropped off considerably in 2024, a year in which his defensive snap share fell to a career-low 20%. At least a rotational role will be in store this season upon returning, though. Nnadi’s 2026 value will be determined by his level of play with his former team.
Nnadi should have a better year with Wharton gone but this team still needs more pass rushing juice in case Jones or Karlaftis get nicked up.