Nick Bolton is seen as one of the leaders on the Kansas City Chiefs roster. This regime holds him in high regard. As a homegrown talent, Kansas City was happy to give Bolton a second contract as one of the Chiefs’ more positive recent draft picks.
Bolton re-signed with the Chiefs last offseason for $15 million per year with $30 million guaranteed. That average annual value ended up being the going rate for linebackers who re-signed with their original team during the 2025 offseason.
Beyond him, Jamien Sherwood stayed with the Jets on the exact same contract terms Kansas City used to retain Bolton. Zack Baun also received a significant deal worth $17 million per season to stay with the Philadelphia Eagles after helping them win a Super Bowl. Baun receiving that contract was a change of pace for Philadelphia, which traditionally has not used premium assets at the position.
A downhill linebacker with consistent production
Bolton is known as a downhill thumper and gap filler. He is best utilized in run support. Certainly, he has his limitations in coverage, due to average marks in range, speed, and reactive quickness at times. Bolton has fit this profile dating back to his college days with the Missouri Tigers.
He dealt with injuries in 2023, limiting him to eight games played. Outside of that season, Bolton has tallied at least 16 games played in each of his other four career seasons. His production in tackles, tackles for loss, and quarterback hits has remained roughly consistent across those four seasons, excluding 2023.
Bolton has also been key in the playoffs, making stops on crucial downs along with recording pass breakups and fumble recoveries. He simply produces at a level you can reasonably expect him to meet consistently. Because of the leadership and instincts he brings to the team, the Chiefs have long valued what Bolton provides from a preparation and pre-snap standpoint. That made the news of Kansas City re-signing him unsurprising.
Balancing market value and positional spending
As things currently stand in the linebacker market, only four inside linebackers have higher average annual salaries than Bolton’s $15 million per year. Those players are Fred Warner ($21 million per year), Roquan Smith ($20 million per year), Tremaine Edmunds ($18 million per year), and Baun ($17 million per year).
Many teams were more willing to invest in the inside linebacker free agent class last offseason. With opposing offenses placing a greater emphasis on the running game, defenses were forced to be stout up the middle. Because of the cyclical nature of NFL offensive trends, teams were a bit behind the eight ball this season if they were weak along the spine of the defense. Does that context make Bolton’s contract look more reasonable on paper when factoring in his play style?
Bolton is still an above-average linebacker and one of the more serviceable players at his position. If you are judging strictly by ability, there are only a handful of linebackers who could significantly raise the level of play in the middle of Kansas City’s defense. If he were replaced, there are only a few names capable of impacting the game in an all-around way.
That said, when looking at this contract, it would not be shocking if the Chiefs used his deal as a restructure option this offseason. In order to create flexibility for other moves, there are only two, maybe three, other names that stand out as more obvious candidates for a restructured deal. For his abilities, it may be a slight overpay relative to expectations.
It also highlights the disparity between spending heavily on a non-premium position versus allocating resources to premium spots on the Chiefs’ roster. Kansas City will likely be walking a fine line between contract value and return on investment with Bolton’s deal if it cannot find more stability from those premium positions on the team.