Austin Reiter is reportedly considering K.C. Chiefs offer to return

After initial reports stated that the K.C. Chiefs were going to let Austin Reiter hit the open market and leave in free agency, Kansas City Star reporter Herbie Teope has word that the Chiefs have given the center a new deal to consider coming back for another season (or more) at the heart of the offensive line.

Reiter initially joined the Chiefs as a waiver claim before the 2018 season began after the Cleveland Browns waived him when active rosters were due. Brett Veach seized on the chance to see how he would return from a torn ACL that was part of the door shutting on him in Cleveland and it worked out very well as Reiter not only made the Chiefs roster in year one but he became the starting center by the beginning of year two.

Reiter started every single game at center for the Chiefs during their Super Bowl run in 2019—their first championship in 50 seasons—and he again started nearly every game in 2020 as they sought to “run it back.” There was a stretch at midseason when the Chiefs tried out Daniel Kilgore for a few games, but Reiter reclaimed his starting role and held it down through the postseason.

Austin Reiter could be returning for another season in K.C.

The short tryout for Kilgore signaled that maybe the Chiefs would try to change out pieces this offseason, and that report of letting Reiter leave in free agency bolstered that idea. Now, however, it look as if another year could be in the works.

At this point, the Chiefs have watched the top options land elsewhere, which includes Corey Linsley signing with the L.A. Chargers and Rodney Hudson going to the Arizona Cardinals. It’s impossible to know the Chiefs’ interest in either, but if the landscape changed enough in a limited market to make Reiter one of the better options, then perhaps the Chiefs just wanted to survey the landscape before committing to Reiter once again.