The Kansas City Chiefs had a number of wide receivers set to hit free agency, which meant the potential of a complete overhaul of the depth chart was possible. Two days into the NFL's legal tampering period, the Chiefs are doing their best to retain them instead.
After reaching an agreement to bring back Tyquan Thornton on Monday night, the Chiefs have decided to also re-sign Nikko Remigio nearly 24 hours later.
Remigio is an exclusive rights free agent, which technically puts him in a different category than others who were hitting the open market at the start of a new league year. However, the Chiefs didn't have to bring him back if they didn't want to, and it's clear they're ready to see how he can build on his experience as a receiver and returner.
The Chiefs have brought back returner/receiver Nikko Remigio for a fourth season on the roster.
Remigio first joined the team as a rookie free agent out of Fresno State in 2023, but he spent the entirety of his rookie season on injured reserve. He spent part of his next year on the practice squad, but found a home late in the year and through the entire postseason run as the Chiefs hoped for a three-peat.
After a strong preseason showing in 2025, and after Dave Toub made glowing comments about him, Remigio made the Chiefs' active roster out of training camp—forcing them to keep eight wide receivers to start the year. Remigio was a special teams favorite and the primary returner who was also hoping to carve out an offensive role in his second season with the team.
Despite an uptick in appearances from 5 to 14 from the previous year, Remigio also played fewer offensive snaps in '25 (39 versus 31). His return averages also dropped with greater volume. He returned 25 punts for the Chiefs last season with a 7.6 yards/return average (compared to 9.5 in '24). He also returned 47 kickoffs for a 25.6 yards/return average (compared to 26.8).
Those figures led some fans to believe that Remigio could be replaced in '26 as the entrenched returner, knowing that K.C. needed more dynamism across the board coming off of a six-win season. That might still be the case as the team constructs the roster in free agency and the draft, but for now, Remigio is back in place and ready to compete for the role(s) once again.