Kansas City Chiefs retain one of their own free agents, a staple on special teams
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs re-sign long-snapper James Winchester to a one-year, $1.75M deal for 2026.
- Winchester, 37 in 2026, holds 181 games played, tied for 11th in franchise history.
- Winchester matches Travis Kelce with 25 playoff games and three Super Bowl rings.
The Chiefs will bring back veteran long-snapper James Winchester, The Star has confirmed.
Winchester will sign a one-year deal for $1.75 million for the 2026 NFL season, as first reported Saturday by NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.
The new contract will make Winchester the game’s highest-paid long-snapper.
Winchester, who will be 37 when the 2026 season begins, is one of the Chiefs’ longest-tenured players. He joined the team in 2015 and his 181 games played is tied for 11th in franchise history. He’s never missed a game.
His total of 25 playoff-game appearances matches star tight end Travis Kelce for the most in team history. And Winchester is one of just six players to win three Super Bowl rings in the Andy Reid era.
Over his 12-year NFL career, Winchester has snapped for two regular kickers, Harrison Butker and Cairo Santos, as well as three punters: Matt Araiza, Tommy Townsend and Dustin Colquitt.