Kansas City Chiefs Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 2/13/25

February 13th, 2025 at 8:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Chiefs retained one of their backup running backs Thursday:

Kansas City Chiefs

RB Keaontay Ingram

A former Cardinals sixth-round pick, Ingram has been with the Chiefs since November 2023. Ingram has moved up to the Chiefs’ active roster on multiple occasions, including in September 2024 after the team lost Isiah Pacheco to a broken leg. Upon reuniting with Kareem Hunt, however, the Chiefs moved Ingram back to their practice squad. As Hunt is again a free agent, Ingram will sign another reserve/futures deal with Kansas City.

Travis Kelce Weighing Future, Not Committed To Playing In 2025

February 12th, 2025 at 11:10pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce isn’t sure if he is going to return to the NFL for his 13th season in 2025. After conflicting reports emerged about the all-time tight end great’s status before Super Bowl LIX, he has since addressed the prospect of a potential retirement.

“I know everybody wants to know whether or not I’m playing next year. Right now, I’m just kicking everything down the road.” said Kelce on his New Heights podcast after the Super Bowl (via Around The NFL’s Nick Shook).

Kelce is entering the final season of his contract with the Chiefs and will count for $19.8MM against the salary cap. Most of that comes from a $11.5MM roster bonus due on March 15, per OverTheCap, setting up a potential deadline for his decision. Kelce, however, doesn’t seem to be in a rush.

“I think I’m gonna take some time to figure it out,” continued the 35-year-old tight end. “I think I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back, it’s going to be something that it’s a wholehearted decision.”

Kelce mentioned the “wear and tear” on his body over the last 12 years as a key consideration as he mulls his future. The 2013 third-round pick has proven to be a durable player throughout his career, appearing in at least 15 games for the last 11 seasons. His only major absence was due to knee surgery as a rookie; since then, Kelce has consistently played through minor injuries and ranks 26th among all active players in career starts.

The 10-time Pro Bowler also leads active players with 25 career playoff starts, something he alluded to on the podcast.

“I’ve been fortunate over the past five, six years, I’ve played more football than anybody,” said Kelce. “It’s because the people that are in that building and the fact that we keep going to these AFC championships, these Super Bowls, that means I’m playing an extra three games more than everybody else in the entire league.”

If Kelce elects to return, Kansas City may want to sign him to an extension to lower his 2025 cap hit. Such a deal would not signal that Kelce is committed to playing beyond 2025; it would simply be a way for the Chiefs to push more of his cap burden into the future.

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 2/12/25

February 12th, 2025 at 6:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s reserve/futures deals:

Atlanta Falcons

OT Kilian Zierer

Kansas City Chiefs

TE Anthony Firkser

Anthony Firkser brings 78 games of NFL experience. His best run came with the Titans, including a two-year stretch between 2020 and 2021 when he hauled in 73 catches. After starting the 2024 season with the Jets, Firkser spent most of the second half on the Chiefs practice squad.

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 2/11/25

February 11th, 2025 at 6:39pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s only reserve/futures deal across the NFL:

Carolina Panthers

K Matthew Wright

Kansas City Chiefs

S Deon Bush

Chiefs Expecting RG Trey Smith To Depart In Free Agency

February 11th, 2025 at 2:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

From an offensive line perspective, the Chiefs‘ Super Bowl letdown was particularly interesting. The team rolled out a quintet housing two first-team All-Pros (center Creed Humphrey, left guard-turned-left tackle Joe Thuney) and saw Trey Smith secure his first Pro Bowl accolade. Yet, the Eagles still teed off on Patrick Mahomes to remind of the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl LV rampage.

Kansas City both built a formidable interior trio but saw its shaky tackle plan unravel at the worst time. Unlike in Super Bowl LV, when the AFC superpower played without injured starters Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz, the Chiefs had their tackles healthy. They just could not hold up, with RT Jawaan Taylor continuing to struggle and the non-Thuney LT options — Wanya Morris, second-round rookie Kingsley Suamataia and in-season free agency addition D.J. Humphries — deemed less acceptable compared to kicking an All-Pro guard outside.

As the Chiefs will need a better answer at left tackle in 2025, they are bracing for their top in-house free agent to leave. Kansas City is expected to lose Smith once the market opens, according to the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora. Despite the Chiefs showing interest in retaining Smith at the season’s outset, his situation has trended this way for a bit.

This will break up the interior trio the Chiefs built weeks after their Super Bowl LV blowout loss, as Thuney, Humphrey and Smith began playing together — to key a successful O-line turnaround following the rough Tampa night — in 2021. With Humphrey extended and Thuney signed for one more season, Smith appears the odd man out.

The Chiefs could make a last-ditch move to ensure Smith stays by using the franchise tag on the former sixth-round find, but guards are rarely tagged. The tag formula still classifies all offensive linemen under one umbrella, meaning top centers and guards would see the same tag number as tackles. Tackle salaries thus balloon guard tag figures, paving top interior blockers’ paths to the market. There have been a couple of exceptions in recent years, with Thuney — via a 2020 Patriots tag — being one of them. Washington also cuffed Brandon Scherff for two years. But the Chiefs have other issues to address. They appear to be willing to stomach losing an impact RG talent as a result.

Kansas City already cut into one of its strengths by kicking Thuney to LT. That move had stabilized the Chiefs’ line for a stretch, but the Eagles exposed the plan on the biggest stage. The three-time reigning AFC champions already gave Humphrey a monster center extension that checks in on its own tier (four years, $72MM) at that position, and Thuney is tied to a $26.97MM cap number in a contract year. The Chiefs could look into a Thuney extension to bring that down, but the ex-Patriots draftee is also now 32. Smith is 25, which will make his expected departure sting.

As the Chiefs could look into the likes of Ronnie Stanley and Cam Robinson to help stabilize their tackle spots, they still have Taylor on the books for a guaranteed $20MM. By keeping Taylor on the roster in March 2024, the Chiefs saw the struggling RT’s 2025 base salary and $500K workout bonus lock in.

This money and the Humphrey and Thuney deals stand to limit the Chiefs up front, though one anonymous GM adds (via La Canfora) the team will likely show interest in Stanley and Robinson. Stanley is coming off his healthiest season since 2019, and that certainly would stand to make him more than a mere stopgap. The Vikings have Christian Darrisaw coming back after a season-ending injury, which would stand to point their emergency fill-in — Robinson — to the market.

The Bears have been linked to Smith, and multiple execs identified (via La Canfora) the Titans as a possible destination. Tennessee already dived into the veteran interior market last year, by signing center Lloyd Cushenberry, and used a first-round pick on left guard Peter Skoronski. The Titans still have a need at RG. A Tennessee alum, Smith should be expected to become the NFL’s fifth $20MM-per-year guard if/when he hits free agency. Pro Football Focus has graded him as a top-15 option at the position in each of his four seasons, which will make a Chiefs replacement task difficult.

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

February 10th, 2025 at 8:58am CST by Adam La Rose

With Super Bowl LIX in the books, the 2024 campaign has come to a close. The final first-round order for April’s draft is now set as a result.

All 32 teams currently own a Day 1 selection, leaving the door open to each one adding a prospect in the first round for the first time since expansion in 2002. Any number of trades will no doubt take place between now and the draft, though, and it will be interesting to see how teams maneuver in the lead-in to the event. Of course, Tennessee in particular will be worth watching closely with a move to sell off the No. 1 pick being seen as a distinct possibility.

A weak quarterback class will leave teams like the Titans, Browns, Giants and Raiders with plenty of key offseason decisions. The free agent and trade markets do not offer many short-term alternatives which are seen as surefire additions, and teams which do not make moves in March will rely on the incoming group of rookies as part of their efforts to find a long-term solution under center. The two prospects seen as the clear-cut top options in 2025, however, are two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter and Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2024 standings plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. Playoff squads are slotted by their postseason outcome and the reverse order of their regular season record.

Here is a final look at the first-round order:

Tennessee Titans (3-14)
Cleveland Browns (3-14)
New York Giants (3-14)
New England Patriots (4-13)
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-13)
Las Vegas Raiders (4-13)
New York Jets (5-12)
Carolina Panthers (5-12)
New Orleans Saints (5-12)
Chicago Bears (5-12)
San Francisco 49ers (6-11)
Dallas Cowboys (7-10)
Miami Dolphins (8-9)
Indianapolis Colts (8-9)
Atlanta Falcons (8-9)
Arizona Cardinals (8-9)
Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
Seattle Seahawks (10-7)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
Denver Broncos (10-7)
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
Los Angeles Chargers (11-6)
Green Bay Packers (11-6)
Minnesota Vikings (14-3)
Houston Texans (10-7)
Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
Baltimore Ravens (12-5)
Detroit Lions (15-2)
Washington Commanders (12-5)
Buffalo Bills (13-4)
Kansas City Chiefs (15-2)
Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)

Philadelphia Eagles Win Super Bowl LIX

February 9th, 2025 at 9:17pm CST by Ely Allen

And, with that, the 2024 NFL season has come to an end. The clock has hit four zeroes, and the Philadelphia Eagles are the Super Bowl LIX champions beating the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22.

After earning their first ever championship since before the 1970 AFL-NFL merger back in 2017, the Eagles have now won two Super Bowls in eight years, not to mention an additional appearance in the game two years ago. That last appearance, a Super Bowl LVII loss to the Chiefs, 38-35, was avenged tonight thanks to a dominant performance from Philadelphia’s defense.

Following that previous Super Bowl loss, the Eagles were a first-round exit last year. This led to a busy offseason that saw them extend the contracts of key offensive players like wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, left tackle Jordan Mailata, and left guard Landon Dickerson. Perhaps most important was the free agent signing of division-rival running back Saquon Barkley. Barkley led the league in rushing, accomplishing the NFL’s first 2,000-yard rushing season since 2020. With the production he had in the offseason, as well, including tonight’s win, Barkley broke the record for most single-season rushing yards including the postseason with 2,504 yards.

The team’s front office did big work on the defensive side of the ball, as well. First, they hired Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator to replace Sean Desai, whom they decided not to retain. Then, they reworked defensive end Josh Sweat‘s contract to keep him around for the year, added free agent pass rusher Bryce Huff across from him, and signed huge contributors in linebacker Zack Baun and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Perhaps most crucial to the defense were the first- and second-round draft additions of cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, the former of which finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting and the latter of which returned a Patrick Mahomes interception 38 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter of tonight’s game.

The Eagles’ dominance on defense was felt not only in the secondary but all over the field. In addition to interceptions by DeJean and Baun, Philadelphia racked up six sacks, 11 quarterback hits, and six tackles for loss without blitzing a single snap, per James Palmer of Bleacher Report. The offense spread out the ball well but, ultimately, didn’t do much, as they weren’t really asked to. Fangio and his unit were the unofficial MVPs of the game; quarterback Jalen Hurts was the official Super Bowl LIX Most Valuable Player.

The Eagles season had an up and down start. They opened up the year with a win over the Packers in Sao Paulo, Brazil, before dropping two of their next three games. Following an early Week 5 bye, Philadelphia established what their identity would be, rattling off 10 straight wins. An injury to Hurts resulted in their only loss after September as backups Kenny Pickett and Tanner McKee took over for the remainder of the season. A loss at quarterback wasn’t too detrimental, though, as the NFL’s No. 2 rushing offense was able to continue carrying the NFL’s 29th-best passing offense.

Tonight’s Super Bowl win was a microcosm of what the team’s defense had done all year. Fangio’s defense finished second in the NFL in scoring defense and was the top defense in total yards thanks to a passing defense that had the Eagles as the only team in the NFL not to allow 3,000 passing yards this year. The Eagles blitzed at a rate that was the fifth-least in the NFL in 2024, but that strategy didn’t really pay dividends until tonight as the team was fifth-worst in pressures during the regular season, as well.

This year, the Chiefs were the Chiefs. Despite a down year from Mahomes and injuries that held the team without one or both of wide receivers Rashee Rice and Marquise Brown for most of the season, the Chiefs won 15 games. They were buoyed a bit by a top-four scoring defense and the ninth-best total defense, but Mahomes’ clutch abilities were able to extend an already existing streak of wins in one-score games to 17 straight.

The Chiefs’ goals of being the first threepeat in NFL history will now start over. They’ll expect to return Rice alongside this year’s first-round rookie, Xavier Worthy, next year, but receivers DeAndre Hopkins, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman, and Brown are all destined for the free agent market. Also, with Kareem Hunt and Samaje Perine both in contract years, the Chiefs will have to decide how to approach the running backs group with only Isiah Pacheco and Carson Steele returning. Aside from that, a number of aging veterans like tight end Travis Kelce (36), left tackle Joe Thuney (33), and defensive tackle Chris Jones (31) may be starting to mull ideas about their future in the NFL.

As for the Eagles, while they will undoubtedly bask in the glow of this victory a little longer, their offseason awaits, as well. Key defenders like Sweat, Baun, cornerback Avonte Maddox, and defensive tackle Milton Williams are all facing free agency, not to mention veteran defensive end Brandon Graham, who, at 36 years old, has already indicated that retirement is in the cards. On offense, starting guard Mekhi Becton will be a free agent, and similar to Graham, right tackle Lane Johnson is 35 and could be thinking about walking out on top, as well. You can add 34-year-old cornerback Darius Slay and maybe even 32-year-old safety James Bradberry to that conversation, as well. Though, Slay spoke of wanting to play one more season.

For now, though, the Eagles will celebrate the accomplishments of the group they have. Led by stars familiar (Hurts, Brown, Smith) and new (Barkley) on offense, and a stout defense with consistent defensive line play, surprise contributors in the second level, and rising stars in the secondary.

While offensive coordinator Kellen Moore may end up getting poached to become the new head coach in New Orleans, the city that just got a front-row seat to see him win a Super Bowl, the rest of the staff, including Fangio and Super Bowl-winning head coach Nick Sirianni will focus on reloading and taking a shot at being the first NFC team to repeat as Super Bowl Champions since the Cowboys did so in the 1992 and 1993 seasons.

Final Transactions Of The 2024 NFL Season; Eagles Activate DE Brandon Graham From IR

February 9th, 2025 at 4:28pm CST by Ely Allen

FEBARUARY 9: With Graham active for tonight, Huff is amongst the Eagles’ healthy scratches. The latter had played in two of Philadelphia’s postseason games, and after signing a $17MM-per-year pact the fact he is not in the team’s Super Bowl lineup is a rather notable development. Most of Huff’s 2025 compensation is guaranteed, but his next action for Philadelphia will come next year.

FEBRUARY 8: The biggest game of the year will take place tomorrow night as the Chiefs are looking to threepeat for the first time in NFL history. The Eagles, on the other hand, are looking to avenge their Super Bowl loss to Patrick Mahomes and company from just two years ago. As has been the case all year, each team is allowed to elevate two players from their practice squad. Philadelphia has also taken the additional step to activate defensive end Brandon Graham from injured reserve.

Graham suffered a triceps tear in November, and it immediately became clear that he would not play again during the regular season. Triceps tears come with lengthy recovery timetables, and the 36-year-old said in the aftermath of the game in which his took place that he would be out for the rest of the year. As the season went on and the postseason drew nearer, hope began to rise that Graham would be able to make a return if the Eagles could last long enough to play in the Super Bowl.

To add on to that, Graham, who has spent his entire 15-year tenure in Philadelphia, said in July that he would retire following the 2024 campaign. If he is going to hold true to his word, he needed the team to keep winning in order to play one more game in green.

Luckily for Graham, his team held up their end of the bargain, and now, he’ll be able to hold up his. A Graham comeback will be significant for the Eagles, who have dealt with injuries to both he and Bryce Huff this season. Huff has since returned, though he is playing behind starters Josh Sweat and Nolan Smith in Vic Fangio‘s defense. At the time of his injury, Graham had already topped his 2023 full-season totals for sacks and QB hits in 11 games this season. The longest-tenured player in Eagles history was sitting on 3.5 and seven, respectively, in those categories when he went down against the Rams.

In order to make room on the roster, the Eagles have placed backup center Nick Gates on injured reserve. For their two practice squad callups, the Eagles have tabbed fullback Khari Blasingame and linebacker Nicholas Morrow. Blasingame has been elevated for all three of the team’s playoff games so far, while Morrow has been elevated for each of the last two.

The Chiefs only made standard gameday practice squad elevations today. Linebacker Swayze Bozeman and cornerback Steven Nelson will join the active roster for the final game of the season. Bozeman has played in two playoff games already for Kansas City, while Nelson will be making his 2024 debut.

Travis Kelce’s Playing Future Uncertain?

February 8th, 2025 at 6:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

FEBRUARY 8: In spite of Kelce’s remarks from earlier this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports his situation is still uncertain. The four-time All-Pro is expected to take time this offseason to contemplate his future, with Rapoport adding the outcome of tomorrow’s Super Bowl may play a role in Kelce’s decision.

A fourth Super Bowl ring would leave him with even less to accomplish in the NFL for 2025 and beyond, but Kansas City’s offense would of course have a major vacancy to fill in the event of a retirement call. Kelce’s commitment one way or the other should be known before free agency begins in mid-March, per Rapoport.

FEBRUARY 4: Rocketing into a position as one of the best-known American athletes over the past two years, Travis Kelce has used this Chiefs dynasty period to cement himself as one of the all-time tight end greats. While this is obviously an easier NFL period to accumulate receiving yards compared to past eras, the Kansas City tight end stands on his own tier in terms of 1,000-yard seasons at his position.

This season brought a second straight sub-1,000-yard showing for Kelce, who has shown decline signs. Kelce earned his 10th Pro Bowl nod but averaged a career-low (by a significant margin) 8.5 yards per catch this season. The 12th-year veteran still led the Chiefs in receiving yardage (823), but he is not the dominant force that powered the Chiefs to victory in 2022. Kelce, who also stands at or near the top in terms of playoff receiving statistics, is not eyeing retirement on the heels of this step back.

The Chiefs gave Kelce a pay bump this offseason, adding $4MM in total and providing substantial guarantee protection. After the 2024 raise provided $17MM in guarantees at signing, most of his 2025 money is set to vest on Day 3 of the 2025 league year. Kelce’s $17MM-per-year deal still runs through the 2025 season, as the Chiefs did not add any new years to his contract — one initially agreed to in 2020.

It would stand to reason Kelce would want to keep going, even though he has secured lucrative opportunities off the field — thanks to his New Heights podcast (with recently retired brother Jason) and burgeoning movie career. But Patrick Mahomes‘ longtime security blanket is aiming to play beyond this contract.

“I love doing this; I love coming into work every day. I feel like I still have a lot of good football left in me. We’ll see what happens,” Kelce said, adding he would like to play beyond the 2025 season. “I know I’ve been setting myself up for other opportunities in my life. That’s always been the goal, knowing football only lasts for so long. You have to find a way to get into another career and another profession. I’ve been doing that in my offseason. But for the most part, I plan on being a Kansas City Chief and playing football.”

Even if the 35-year-old tight end may be unlikely to add an eighth 1,000-yard receiving season to his resume, no other tight end has more than four. Another season will likely give Kelce a gateway to surpassing Jerry Rice in playoff yardage; the receiver icon is up 2,245-2,039 presently. Kelce’s 20 postseason touchdowns are also second only to Rice’s 22, illustrating how important he has been to the Chiefs establishing themselves as this decade’s premier team.

The Chiefs may lack the style points from their Tyreek Hill years, leading to narrow victory margins and steady scrutiny, but Kelce has been vital for the team as it has crafted this threepeat attempt. His relationship with Taylor Swift has certainly brought the two-time reigning champs considerably more attention, even as their string of near-misses (packed with some officiating drama) this season has turned off plenty of fans. But the Chiefs are unlikely to exit stage left by 2025, as Kelce, Mahomes and Chris Jones join Reid in returning as this dynasty’s pillars. The Chiefs gave Jones (30) a massive raise this past offseason, while Mahomes (29) remains tied to his outlier through-2031 extension.

Even with Kelce no longer at his peak, it would be logical, based on all the value Kelce has brought the Chiefs, the team would be interested in continuing this partnership after 2025. Kelce has taken discounts, joining Mahomes in that regard, to help the Chiefs — all while simultaneously contributing to the wage gap that has formed between tight ends and wideouts — soar to their current perch. As a 13th Kelce season in Kansas City is all but assured, it will be interesting to see how much longer this partnership lasts beyond that point.

Injured Reserve Return Tracker

February 8th, 2025 at 6:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

This offseason brought a change in how teams could construct their 53-man rosters while retaining flexibility with injured players. Clubs were permitted to attach return designations to two players (in total) placed on IR or an NFI list before setting their initial rosters.

In prior years, anyone placed on IR before a team set its initial 53-man roster could not be activated in-season. All August 27 IR- or NFI-return designations, however, already count against teams’ regular-season limit of eight. This introduces more strategy for teams, who will be tasked with determining which players injured in-season will factor into activation puzzles as the year progresses.

All players designated for return on August 27 were eligible to be activated beginning in Week 5, though any player placed on IR after a team set its initial 53 has not been designated for return and therefore does not yet count toward a club’s eight-activation limit. Players who receive return designations after Week 5 also appear on this list.

This offseason also brought a second adjustment, with teams who qualify for the playoffs set to have two additional activations at their disposals. With the playoffs upon us, the two additional activations have been added to each team’s ledger. Here is how the Chiefs and Eagles’ activation puzzles look going into Super Bowl LIX: