The Kansas City Chiefs have seen plenty of safeties come and go over the years without receiving a second contract. Whether that be homegrown draft picks wrapping up their rookie deals or veterans who previously joined via free agency, you can expect this regime to keep things short and sweet at that position group.
Another safety just wrapped up his rookie deal with Kansas City in 2025. Bryan Cook will be entering free agency for the first time this offseason. The safety spot goes through awkward and confusing periods across the league. You see plenty of good draft prospects get pushed down the board due to positional value. But in the end, teams are still willing to shell out cash if they need a safety badly. Cook could benefit from that final description on the open market in 2026.
Bryan Cook's contract year in review
Pro Football Focus shows that Cook finished the 2025 season with 64 solo tackles, 17 stops, six pass breakups, and only five missed tackles. They gave him an 83.2 coverage grade, sixth best among safeties on the year. Cook also earned an overall grade of 83.5, which ended up fourth best at the safety position. It also helps his case that he started every game and remained fully healthy for a second straight season after a nasty lower-body injury near the end of 2023.
Cook was someone who helped tremendously as a tackler on an up-and-down defense. He saved some plays from being more explosive than they already were for opposing offenses. That showed up against both the run and the pass. Specifically against throws, Cook continued to shine with his timing at the catch point, breaking on the ball to affect a number of passes.
Beyond his numbers or technique on the field, Steve Spagnuolo trusted Cook as a leader on the back end. His season as a defensive back, adjusting checks and communicating with his fellow DBs, may not have risen to the spotlight. But as we have seen in the past, it means so much for defenders to earn that level of trust from someone like Spagnuolo.
Bryan Cook's free agent market outlook
There are likely a handful of teams that could be shopping around the free-agent safety market. In particular, the Pittsburgh Steelers are a team that has three safeties due for free agency (Kyle Dugger, Miles Killebrew, Chuck Clark). The Chicago Bears are another team that has at least three safeties set to enter free agency (Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard, Jonathan Owens).
The New York Jets have a couple of names entering free agency as well (Andre Cisco and Tony Adams). Geno Stone is a starting safety who will be on the open market, perhaps leaving a hole with the Cincinnati Bengals. Add the Philadelphia Eagles as another team with a starting safety (Reed Blankenship) set to be a free agent.
Spotrac is also projecting Cook to receive an average salary of $14.2 million per season on his next deal. That is one of the higher projected average annual salaries at the safety position in this free-agent class. Therefore, Cook could outprice himself from Kansas City’s pay range. The number of potential suitors may also create a bidding war for his services.
Will Bryan Cook stay or go?
There is constant turnover at the safety spot for the Chiefs, and Cook's market may be too robust for Kansas City despite that. The Chiefs also have many other needs to address and assets to use elsewhere.
Cook was part of a vital Chiefs’ 2022 draft class that helped pay immediate dividends for Kansas City. He may still have interest in remaining with the Chiefs. However, all signs point to him landing a lucrative deal elsewhere.
Cook should land with a team that can rely on his dependable track record and tackling prowess in a tight division where physicality routinely matters. That team also has more than $60 million available in 2026 salary cap space, the fifth most in the NFL, according to Over The Cap. They also need a major defensive bounce-back next season.
Prediction: Bryan Cook signs with the New York Jets on a three-year deal worth $13 million per season