Chiefs Best Free Agent Pickups In The Andy Reid Era
By Ken Coltharp
KC Chiefs’ best free-agent deals during the Andy Reid era: RT Mitchell Schwartz
2016 (Five years/$33 million)
When Mitchell Schwartz was signed in March of 2016, the Chiefs had a pretty good idea of what they going to get. Schwartz had just spent four seasons in Cleveland where he did not miss a single offensive snap. A stalwart on the right side of the offensive line, he was coming off of a contract year where he was named as a Second Team All-Pro according to Pro Football Focus. Schwartz continued his consistent dominance during his time in Kansas City as he became one of the premier right tackles in the NFL.
Schwartz went from a solid right tackle in Cleveland to one of the best all-around offensive linemen in the game. The year that Schwartz arrived in KC started a run of four straight years of being voted to the official AP All-Pro team, including a First-Team honor in 2018. Schwartz was so good at what he did, he was named to the CBS Sports All-Decade Team as the best right tackles during the 2010s.
Mitchell Schwartz played every single snap from his rookie year to November 2019, a total of 7,894 which was the longest active streak in the NFL at the time. Schwartz’s performance was key to the Chiefs winning Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers for his first and only Lombardi Trophy. His longevity and consistency endeared him to Chiefs Kingdom as one of the most beloved offensive linemen to put on the uniform. Schwart retired after the 2020 season, but you can still see him represent Kansas City all over social media with his objectively excellent blog, Mitch In The Kitch.