Kansas City Chiefs’ pending free agents will confront uncertainty after Super Bowl LVII
It’s Super Bowl LVII and the Chiefs will seek an NFL championship on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium.
But once the game ends, it won’t be long before the Chiefs’ attention shifts back to the business side of football.
The NFL’s new calendar year begins on March 15, marking the start of free agency. And for multiple Chiefs players in the final year of their respective contracts, questions about the future will soon take center stage.
“Kansas City is a priority,” wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster said. “They gave me an opportunity and I took an opportunity on them, and it worked out. So, I’d love to stay here.”
Smith-Schuster’s stance isn’t new. The former Pittsburgh Steeler has been outspoken about his desire to remain in a Chiefs uniform.
The sixth-year pro made his case for a new contract in KC with 78 catches for 933 yards and three touchdowns on 101 targets.
But wanting to stay a Chief is about more than personal statistics for Smith-Schuster.
“It would be amazing to (continue to) play with a guy like Pat,” he said, referring to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, “to play with these guys and just keep winning games and keep chasing rings.”
Running back Jerick McKinnon is another player whose contract expires at the start of the NFL’s calendar year.
McKinnon, who also played the 2021 season on a one-year contract, became a scoring machine late this season by recording at least one touchdown in six straight games (one rushing, eight receiving).
The versatile running back proved to be a perfect fit for the Chiefs’ offensive scheme, and McKinnon is hopeful that reinforces his case to stay.
“I want to stay,” McKinnon said. “When I went through the two knee surgeries, 31 teams and nobody called me. But that one team that did call me, that was 32 and it was Kansas City.
“I would love to come back, would love to get a deal done. But on the other end, it’s not cheap, so we’ll cross that path when that time comes and have that conversation.”
For veteran right tackle Andrew Wylie, who is set to play in his third Super Bowl in the past four seasons, comfort in the scheme and the Chiefs’ tradition of winning will be factors in his decision-making when free agency starts.
Wylie’s positional flexibility — he can play both guard and tackle — have been invaluable for the Chiefs’ front five. He’s played on both sides of the center since arriving in Kansas City in 2018, starting a career-high 17 games at right tackle in 2022.
While he said staying in Kansas City is “absolutely” a priority, he also wouldn’t mind the stability of a longer-term contract after signing a series of one-year deals in recent offseasons.
“I’ll keep it simple and just say I would really enjoy signing a multiyear deal,” Wylie said.
Defensive end Carlos Dunlap, who recorded four sacks this season, is another Chiefs player who will soon become an unrestricted free agent. But he made it clear that his focus is currently on beating the Eagles.
“I want to see us still celebrating winning,” said defensive end “That’s what I want to see, and we’ll let everything else fall where it may from there. But I want to get this (championship) first. We’ll start there.”
Safety Juan Thornhill, who recorded three interceptions in 2022, agreed.
“Hopefully, the Chiefs are willing to bring me back after the type of performance I had this year and after the Super Bowl,” Thornhill said. “I’m just going to let everything play out and just play as hard as I can, just let it play out the way it’s supposed to.”
CHIEFS’ 2023 UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
- QB Chad Henne
- RB Jerick McKinnon
- RB Ronald Jones
- FB Michael Burton
- LT Orlando Brown Jr.
- RT Andrew Wylie
- G/C Nick Allegretti
- WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
- WR Mecole Hardman
- WR Justin Watson
- TE Blake Bell
- DE Carlos Dunlap
- DT Derrick Nnadi
- DT Khalen Saunders
- S Juan Thornhill
- S Deon Bush
This story was originally published February 9, 2023 at 1:53 PM.
