It's one thing for a free agent to wait through the month of March or even April for a team to call offering a roster spot. The frenzy of activity or the seven rounds of a draft allow for some excuses to be made as to why a player's phone hasn't yet rung. Getting into the dog days of summer, however, and the silence becomes deafening.
August is a difficult month for a lot of veteran football players who have yet to find a home for a new season. It's late in the game for any player to sign on with a team in training camp. Rosters are already full of young prospects, and the joke about the NFL standing for "not for long" exists for a reason.
That means a few Kansas City Chiefs could be left standing when the music stops and a new year begins. Will a team come calling for any of these? Keep an eye on the following vets who are hoping that someone will give them a reprieve at the 11th hour.
Kareem Hunt, RB
Hunt has been one of the more heartening stories of the last two years for the Chiefs. Not only has he led the team in rushing yards in each of the last two seasons, but the homecoming gave him a chance to rewrite the ending to his story in K.C. after being released less than two years into a promising career for kicking and shoving a woman.
Hunt has reinvented himself as a reliable battering ram who was perhaps the league's most effective short-yardage back in '25. But the Chiefs completely gutted the RB room this offseason and failed to invite Hunt back into the mix. Isiah Pacheco left in free agency for Detroit, and Hunt is still waiting as well. In his place, the Chiefs emphasized dynamism and youth with Kenneth Walker, Emari Demercado, and Emmett Johnson.
It should be noted that Kareem Hunt returned to the Chiefs after five seasons away in Week 2 and went on to lead the team in rushing in 2024. That means it's not necessarily "over" for any free agent if they remain on the market after the year begins. Injuries open up opportunities every week, and that's what Hunt might have to hope for again to make it to a tenth season in the league.
Deon Bush, S
Last year at this time, Deon Bush was a veteran safety trying to hold onto relevance with the Chiefs for another year as a special teams favorite and defensive depth who would likely land on the practice squad if anywhere. After six seasons in Chicago, Bush has found his opportunities declining over the last four years in K.C., and a torn Achilles suffered in August knocked him out for all of 2025. Coming off of that injury and with the lack of meaningful snaps in the year before that, Bush faces a real uphill climb to extend a career that began back in 2016.
Mike Edwards, S
Most of what was said about Deon Bush could be generally applied to Mike Edwards. He's an aging safety who has found fewer opportunities in front of him after seven years in the league. He has, however, played a more impactful role in the secondary than Bush as a reserve safety with championship experience with both the Buccaneers and Chiefs, and it wouldn't be all that surprising to see a team give Edwards a call to round out a practice squad as a veteran voice for a young secondary. That team might be the Chiefs.
Janarius Robinson, DE
The Chiefs signed Robinson before the 2025 NFL Draft to give themselves some flexibility and depth going into the event. Unfortunately, Robinson suffered a season-ending foot fracture before the regular season started and the Chiefs moved on. This offseason, the New England Patriots have given Robinson a free agent visit, but so far, no team has bit on the former Raiders draft pick. Given the constant need for edge rushers, Robinson is a better bet than others to find some work in 2026, but he's going to have to prove he's healthy.
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