Three initial questions for the Kansas City Chiefs’ offseason after playoff miss
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs must resolve Nagy’s future and name an offensive play caller.
- Front office must manage 22 free agents and restructure cap hits for stars.
- Evaluate No.9 pick: target blue-chip talent or trade back for draft assets.
The Kansas City Chiefs have a lot of work to do following their 6-11 season, one that led them to miss the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2014.
Led by general manager Brett Veach, Kansas City’s personnel staff will have to make decisions on 22 players headed for unrestricted free agency while also finding a way under the salary cap, likely starting with contract restructuring for Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones.
The Chiefs also need to determine what to do with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft — their highest since selecting offensive lineman Eric Fisher No. 1 overall in 2013. Will there be a blue-chip, franchise-changing player they like at that number? Or are they better suited to trade back for more darts?
There is plenty to figure out. But for now, these are the three most immediate questions facing the franchise:
1. What will happen at coordinator?
At the time of this writing, offensive coordinator Matt Nagy has interviewed with Arizona, Baltimore, Las Vegas and Tennessee for those teams’ vacant head coaching jobs.
Going into this year’s hiring cycle, Nagy was viewed as a favorite in Tennessee — where he has ties to former Chiefs executive Mike Borgonzi — but the candidate pool has grown crowded with names such as John Harbaugh, Kliff Kingsbury, Mike McDaniel, Jesse Minter and, most recently, Mike Tomlin.
Can Nagy emerge from that field? It’s still possible, but what if he doesn’t land what he’s looking for? Indications have been that if he isn’t hired as a head coach, he’d like a role where he can put a bigger stamp on the offense by calling plays.
If Nagy is out of the picture, many have suggested Chiefs head coach Andy Reid should look to someone like Kingsbury, McDaniel or Brian Daboll to give the scheme a breath of fresh air. But that doesn’t seem likely based on Reid’s comments the day after the season.
“I’ve got some great guys on the staff here,” Reid said. “(Pass game coordinator) Joe Bleymaier — you name some of the guys. You can go down the list. We’ve got some qualified guys here. I know qualified guys out there, too. I’ve got trust in both places.
“I haven’t got that far and neither has Nags. So, we’ll just see where all this goes and we’ve got a lot of time on that. They can’t even interview him in person until the 19th, so I’m not rushing here.”
Mike Kafka was viewed as the OC-in-waiting before he left for the New York Giants in 2022, and he could be a return option. As for the Giants’ connection to Steve Spagnuolo, reports out of New York have noted they are zeroing in on Harbaugh.
Spagnuolo, the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator, also interviewed with Tennessee, but it seems far less likely the Titans would choose him over Nagy. Unless something changes, Spagnuolo should be expected back in KC.
2. Will Travis Kelce give it another bonus season?
During the final month or two of the season, it sure felt like Kelce was playing the final games of his NFL career. But his comments on the first “New Heights” episode after the season finale changed some minds about his intentions.
“It’s a tough thing to navigate,” Kelce said. “I think if my body can heal up and rest up, and I can feel confident that I can go out there and give it another 18-, 20-, 21-week run, I think I would do it in a heartbeat. So I think right now it’s just finding that answer and seeing how the body feels after this game, and kind of when it all settles down.”
It was eventually revealed that Kelce knew quickly after last year’s Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles that he would give it one more run. Considering Mahomes’ injury and the team failures of 2025, could he give it one more, one more run?
Among NFL tight ends, Kelce finished fourth in receiving yards (851) in 2025. While he’s no longer the undisputed top player at his position, the season showed he can still play.
But there are also subsequent questions that would come with a decision to return. Kelce is among those 22 Chiefs free agents, so what price tag would it take to retain the 36-year-old?
The Chiefs typically won’t incorporate void years (most famously used by Philadelphia), but Kelce’s situation is as atypical as it gets.
Maybe it’s a $15 million deal — with $10 million guaranteed — worth up to $19 million in not-likely-to-be-earned incentives. With a void year, the cap hit could be spread to $10 million in 2026 with $5 million in dead money in 2027.
That’s just a suggestion.
Nobody knows when Kelce will decide, but given his relationship with the Chiefs, it would make sense for his determination to come before early March, when offseason plans must be finalized.
3. What will the Chiefs do at quarterback with Mahomes in rehab mode?
Kansas City’s backup quarterback position will never be more important than this offseason, as Mahomes focuses on ACL and LCL rehab that will likely sideline him until at least the middle of training camp.
With this player possibly needing to start the beginning of the regular season, Chris Oladokun proved to be a non-answer, and Gardner Minshew, whose season ended due to a non-displaced tibial plateau fracture, was only on a one-year contract.
While Minshew could return, Reid could consider Marcus Mariota, who started eight games for the Washington Commanders in 2025 and has the mobility and decisiveness Reid likes in a quarterback. Tyler Huntley is another option, as he went 2-0 in his two starts for Baltimore.
If Reid favors experience over athleticism, Joe Flacco and Jimmy Garoppolo are also due for free agency. Regardless, the Chiefs will be under more pressure to get this decision right than usual.
