Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach is going to make a thousand decisions this offseason as he attempts to remake the roster, following a six-win season. Those moves will encompass the remaking of several positions on both sides of the ball and feature signings in free agency as well as selections in the draft.
But what is just as important as the decisions he will make are the calls that he won't make—as in the players he leaves alone. Sometimes it's best not to take this phone call or to avoid reading that message. It's certainly true in Veach's case that he needs to let go of the idea of letting some players back into Arrowhead after the 2025 season.
Before the offseason truly gets underway, with a new league year starting in March, here's a reminder of some of those players who have no business being back with the Chiefs in 2026.
Jawaan Taylor (unless something is restructured)
Jawaan Taylor deserves far more credit than he's ever been given since coming to Kansas City in 2023. Since signing a four-year deal, he's been a very reliable player who has provided above-average pass blocking, even as he's only received notice for his excessive penalties. In some ways, Cris Colinsworth can be blamed for that.
While Taylor has taken on more criticism than truly merited, he also doesn't deserve to take up more than $27 million on the Chiefs' salary cap in 2026, which is the space he's scheduled to take up next season. The signing of Jaylon Moore and the drafting of Josh Simmons opened a gate for Taylor's departure, which was likely coming at that price tag even if those players weren't around.
The one asterisk here is if the Chiefs can work out a way to convince Taylor to restructure his deal to stay with the team. But that's a long shot with its own concerns, and the Chiefs seem ready to replace Taylor with Moore, with 2026 serving as a bridge year toward a new future on the right side of the offensive line.
Isiah Pacheco
On the one hand, Isiah Pacheco is a great story. A former seventh-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Rutgers, Pacheco rewarded the Chiefs as a productive, violent back who led the team in rushing yards in both of his first two season. That's a great return on a draft investment and an inspiring turn for a late day-three pick.
On the other hand, that Pacheco was ever K.C.'s leading rusher says more about the throwaway posture that Brett Veach has demonstrated toward his backfield than anything else. Cheap one-year deals in free agency and late-round flyers are not the way to properly construct a ground game, which is why the Chiefs have put up abysmal numbers in the last couple of seasons.
The Chiefs absolutely need a complete overhaul at running back, with only Brashard Smith slotted to return in 2026. Maybe there's a case for Kareem Hunt to come back as a short-yardage back, but Veach needs to forgo any re-signing of Pacheco for the sake of fresh faces at the position in 2026
Derrick Nnadi
Derrick Nnadi has been a floor-setting defensive tackle for years now, but the Chiefs coaching staff maintains a deep love and appreciation for him, so the veteran keeps finding his way back onto the roster, even if it holds the unit back overall.
While Nnadi is a civic hero, he's been a below-average player who should have been replaced in 2022 or 2023. Instead, Veach decided to trade back for Nnadi from the Jets after he signed in New York in free agency. He also released Mike Pennel around the same time, which only served to confuse and frustrate Chiefs fans who were already at their wits' end at the team's approach at defensive tackle in the first place.
All of this could have been said in 2025 and 2024 as well, so we'll believe in Veach's ability to ignore Nnadi when we see it.