Who doesn’t love a good story? The National Football League is full of them.
There are players who defy the odds to reach the highest level in their sport, players who overcome adversity and setback after setback to finally prevail, and moments that are so rare and so special that it almost feels like they were scripted.
These stories are part of what makes sport so special – the journey, the battles along the way and that final triumph. But not every story ends like this. Sometimes, it just wasn’t meant to be.
Take for example Charles Omenihu.
The defensive end and now former Kansas City Chief has had a career filled with moments of just missing out on the ultimate prize. Now that Omenihu’s time in Kansas City is over, I can’t help but feel sorry for him that he couldn’t accomplish something special with the Chiefs.
It has been a case of so close yet so far time and time again for Omenihu throughout his career, with heartbreaking moments along the way.
Charles Omenihu's career has been full of heartbreak
It all started in his rookie season. Drafted in 2019, Omenihu was part of the Houston Texans team that faced off against the Chiefs in the Divisional Round. He watched as his team built a 24-0 lead, then got outscored 51-7 in under three quarters. So close to a first career playoff win, and yet, so far.
Omenihu was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 2021, and while the move helped him earn that first playoff win, the heartbreaking losses followed. The 49ers and Omenihu made back-to-back NFC Championship games in 2021 and 2022, but lost both of them. So close to a first Super Bowl appearance, and yet, so far.
Then, Omenihu became a Chief. He joined a Kansas City team in 2023 that had won two Super Bowls in four years and was chasing back-to-back championships. He had a career-high seven sacks that season and the Chiefs made the playoffs again.
With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, Omenihu made a crucial play in the AFC Championship against the Baltimore Ravens – a strip sack on Lamar Jackson in the second quarter.
The Chiefs would go on to win and return to the Super Bowl, but Omenihu wouldn’t be taking part. He tore his ACL during the game against Baltimore, an injury that ended his season. Omenihu watched from the sidelines as Kansas City won the Super Bowl without him. Omenihu deservedly got a championship ring, but it was so close, and yet, so far to playing in the game to win football’s ultimate prize.
That ACL injury meant Omenihu missed most of the 2024 season, but he was back in time for the last six games, and crucially, the playoffs. After coming so close in the years before, Omenihu would finally get the chance to play in a Super Bowl. But again, the storybook ending eluded him.
The Chiefs got stomped by the Philadelphia Eagles 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX in a game that was never close. Omenihu was so close to playing in a Super Bowl victory, and yet, so far.
Dreams of a shot at redemption with Kansas City didn’t eventuate in 2025. The Chiefs crashed and burned, missing the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.
And now, Omenihu is on a different team. The 28-year-old signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Washington Commanders in the early days of free agency, ending his time in Kansas City. I wish it could have ended differently.
Every year, Omenihu got a step closer to every player’s dream of winning a Super Bowl. And every year, his season ended with a heartbreak that was somehow even more painful than the last.
I felt so sorry for Omenihu when the news of the extent of his injury against Baltimore emerged. I felt even worse when he finally got to play in the Super Bowl, only for his team to get totally crushed.
Sometimes stories have that dream ending, sometimes, they are tales of anguish. Omenihu has endured more than his fair share of heartbreak along the way, and even though he is no longer a Chief, I really hope he one day finally gets that perfect ending.
If he gets it, I’ll be so happy for him.