Khyiris Tonga will be on the move for the fourth offseason in a row in 2026. The veteran defensive tackle is heading to Kansas City.
Tonga and the Chiefs have agreed to a three-year, $21MM deal, Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report. The pact will include $14MM in guarantees.
A former seventh-round pick, Tonga has struggled to find a home in the NFL. He got into 15 games as a rookie with the Bears in 2021, but he was waived at the end of the 2022 preseason. Following a brief stop on Atlanta’s practice squad, he joined the Vikings, where he spent the next two seasons.
After getting into 13 games with the Cardinals in 2024, Tonga inked a one-year deal with the Patriots last offseason. He ended up playing a relatively important depth role behind Milton Williams and Christian Barmore, with Tonga ultimately garnering eight starts. Pro Football Focus was impressed with his performance, grading him 38th among 127 qualifying interior defenders. The Patriots also got a bit creative with Tonga’s usage, occasionally using him as a fullback.
In Kansas City, Tonga will have an opportunity to carve out a long-term role. At the moment, he’ll likely be penciled in next to Chris Jones in the starting lineup. This move may also signal that the Chiefs aren’t planning to retain veteran defensive tackles Derrick Nnadi and Mike Pennel.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.
He’s nothing more than a gap eating run stuffer you play 25 snaps a game, but he’s very good at that role.
Well yeah, have you seen the AFC West lately?
Lotta money for what he does. I’d have liked him on GB not for that money though
Run stuffing and pass rushing rotational DTs are getting PAID this off season so far.
Mostly reasonable salaries other than this one. Seven million a year isn’t a huge amount but it seems a bit steep.