Which members of the Kansas City Chiefs roster are likely playing their final games for the team this postseason? Here’s a look.
The end of every season brings another round of players who have played their last game for the Kansas City Chiefs. It’s just a part of football.
Either a player simply won’t make the roster next year or he will retire. He might be traded or sign with another team. Injuries, age, finances and interest on the part of player and team all play a part, but the bottom line remains the same: fans are constantly saying goodbye to another group of familiar faces.
Last offseason, we might have had an inclination that Jamaal Charles was finished in a Chiefs uniform, but very few expected that we’d seen the last of Jeremy Maclin as well. We had guesses one way or another about Dontari Poe, but we were likely shocked by Jaye Howard’s exit as well.
The same is likely to happen this offseason as Brett Veach makes his moves, but there are at least a few players that we can safely guess will be taking his final bow as a member of the Chiefs organization this postseason.
Whether the Chiefs lose to the Titans and go one-and-out or whether they make a Super Bowl run, these Chiefs are likely in the stretch run of their time in Kansas City. Here’s hoping we remember them well and appreciate everything they brought to the team.
Alex Smith, quarterback
There is a reasonable line of thinking that includes Alex Smith coming back in 2018, and we would be ignorant to pretend that option does not exist. Teams need to be two-deep at quarterback these days, and there’s a reason that New England kept Jimmy Garoppolo for as long as they possible could before getting a decent return.
Insurance is always worth it, even if you don’t need/use it. If Smith were willing to return to the Chiefs on a reworked deal that eases the financial burden for 2018, it’s possible Smith is back in tandem with Patrick Mahomes in 2018.
With that said, however, there are more signs pointing to Smith playing elsewhere in 2018. His stock remains high so a trade return should net a decent enough haul of draft assets in a year in which the Chiefs are down a few picks. Mahomes looked good in the preseason and even better in his Week 17 start, so any idea that he’s not ready should be set aside.
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Even more importantly, Mahomes is going to be cheap for the next three seasons, giving the Chiefs considerable room in which to sign and extend other players while the game’s most expensive position stays affordable.
If Smith is gone after this season, then he deserves our first mention here because of what he’s meant to the team. Ever since he first came over from the San Francisco 49ers, he has been a model of consistency, helping to immediately right the ship under head coach Andy Reid.
Smith provided a strong leader on and off the field and avoided mistakes as the Chiefs grew back into a contender.
Smith went 50-26 with the Chiefs during the regular season. That’s fifty wins. He threw 102 touchdowns and only 33 interceptions. He also rushed for another 10 touchdowns, showing off his underrated athleticism and keeping defenses on their heels with his ability to escape the pocket and move the chains.
And if you needed a great reason to love Alex Smith, he put up his best statistical season by a country mile while maintaining a constant smile and professional attitude even as he knew he was being shown the door. He’s a class act with the talent to match and Chiefs Kingdom should pause and pay tribute to one of the finest quarterbacks in franchise history. It’s been a great five years.
Tamba Hali, linebacker
“I’m leaning more towards (being with) my family.”
If you were wondering whether or not Tamba Hali would try to press Chiefs leadership for another season after this one, you read the likely answer above from a story by Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star. When Paylor asked Hali about his future, Hali was clear that he was leaning more toward retirement even as the competitive fires still burned.
If this is, indeed, Hali’s last go-around with the Kansas City Chiefs, then we need to make sure to remember him as the dominant pass rusher that he was and not the sparingly used pass rusher who is unable to play on artificial turf due to knee problems.
The Hali we should remember is the consummate professional, the team leader who let his work do the talking for him. Since 2006, Hali has lived up to his first round draft status as a player with a relentless motor and work ethic that’s second to none. He’s forced 33 fumbles and sacked the opposing quarterback 89.5 times, sixth among active players and 45th on the all-time NFL list.
The five-time Pro Bowler is likely on the outside looking in when it comes to occupying a spot in Canton, but there’s no doubt that he’s a future member of the Chiefs Hall of Fame.
Dustin Colquitt, punter
It’s certainly not a stretch to say that Colquitt could return to Kansas City next season since the Chiefs are the only team for whom he’s played since he was drafted in 2005.
Not only is Colquitt the longest-tenured player on the team, but he’s still in his prime as a punter who made the Pro Bowl last season (and should do so this year as well).
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The downside to keeping Colquitt at this stage is simply about money. For a team that’s been flush up against the cap each year, the Chiefs have also chosen to employ the most expensive punter in the game.
A rookie punter would come with one tenth of the overall cost of Colquitt and that’s a tough decision for Brett Veach to consider if the Chiefs need the money.
That said, if the Chiefs can afford to keep Colquitt, they definitely should. He’s a known quantity and top-notch performer for a special teams unit that’s celebrated among with the league’ best and brightest every year since Dave Toub arrived.
There’s no reason to mess with that unless the Chiefs absolutely must. If Veach does finally pull the plug on Colquitt’s tenure in Kansas City, here’s hoping we all remember how good we had it with such a capable veteran as part of the special teams unit.
De’Anthony Thomas, wide receiver
De’Anthony Thomas, or DAT, has never quite lived up to the pre-draft buzz that accompanied him into the NFL.
The former University of Oregon star came into the NFL as a gadget sort of player who lacked a natural position but had enough athleticism that many teams didn’t mind the challenge of finding a place for him. Unfortunately that tweener role has gotten the best of him so far in the NFL as he’s yet to match offensive expectations hanging over his head.
Still there’s been a lot about De’Anthong Thomas’s career that we should appreciate. Thomas is a willing returner who is also a killer gunner on special teams, a player that Dave Toub believes is the toughest player on the team.
Thomas has been successful in limited rushing attempts (6.4 yards/carry) and he’s also caught 61 total passes for 474 receiving yards over the last four years.
His toughness and return abiity, agility and top speed have allowed him to contribute to the Chiefs, even if it was never quite to the hyped-up level he entered the NFL with.
Zach Fulton, offensive line
Here’s a player that we certainly hope to see back in 2018. However we also understand that every player dreams of getting his big pay day, and several teams would love to have the sort of versatility and availability that Zach Fulton brings to the offensive line.
As valuable as he has been for the Chiefs over the last four years, he’s bound to get paid, whether that’s by K.C. or another team thin along the offensive interior.
Fulton was an instant hit as a sixth-round pick, an unexpected starter at guard after John Dorsey selected him out of Tennessee as an unheralded draft pick in 2013.
Over the last four years, Fulton hasn’t exhibited enough talent to call one position his own and yet he’s started multiple games at left guard, right guard and center. He’s been able to step right in when Mitch Morse went down for the season this year and help the Chiefs offense maintain its momentum.
Entering free agency for the first time, his agent is going to point to the fact that he’s missed a single game in the last four full seasons and his versatility along the offensive front as a way to boost his value. Fulton definitely deserves a nice check for all the ways in which he’s helped patch leaks over the years.
If this is his last go-around, he’ll be remembered as an underappreciated lineman who was one of Dorsey’s greatest finds.
Albert Wilson, wide receiver
When Albert Wilson put up 147 yards on the Denver Broncos in Week 17, it was the perfect exclamation mark to end a (regular) season in which Wilson finally broke out. John Dorsey was always bullish on Wilson’s ceiling, even overly so, as the Chiefs former general manager never hesitated to praise the former undrafted free agent.
He believed Wilson could be a solid starter on the outside well before Wilson ever showed such ability, and 2017 has proven Dorsey right in a number of ways.
It’s uncanny how many key catches or even game-saving moments Wilson has had in 2017. There’s the 36-yard sideline catch against the Oakland Raiders just a few weeks ago. There’s also the other key play against the Raiders, the touchdown tip from October. This year, he set career highs in catches (42), receiving yards (552 yards), catch rate (68%) and touchdowns (3).
Most importantly, it’s clear that Wilson has mastered Andy Reid’s offense as he runs routes with efficiency and has blossomed into a well-rounded receiving who blocks willingly, separates well and has shown solid chemistry this season with both Patrick Mahomes and Alex Smith.
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If Wilson stays underrated in the free agent market, the Chiefs would do well to bring him back. Unfortunately Wilson likely chose the perfect time for a bit of a breakout campaign.