If Nick Allegretti is ever going to take the next step in the National Football League, now is his time to take it.
Just a few weeks after his courageous role in helping the Kansas City Chiefs win their third Super Bowl in five seasons, Allegretti is ready to hit free agency. And for teams wondering if he's got the skill set to take on a starting role, such questions should have been vanquished by his playoff run.
Allegretti is fresh off of an impressive three-game run in which he was forced to step into starting duty in place of Joe Thuney, an All-Pro guard who was unable to play in the final games of the Chiefs' season due to a pectoral injury suffered against the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round.
Nick Allegretti certainly sounds like a man whose time has come to leave K.C.
Not only did Allegretti step up and provide near-seamless consistency up front for the Chiefs, but he did so while playing through an injury of his own during Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers.
Last offseason, the Chiefs brought back Allegretti on a one-year deal to continue to serve as a super sub along the offensive interior. However this time, Allegretti sounds like he's ready for more than a reserve role, even if he loves the idea of being in Kansas City. In a recent interview with Good Morning Football on the NFL Network, Allegretti went into detail about his goals.
"The best thing about football for me as an offensive lineman is the option and availability to go lead a group of men... the best way to do that is to be a starter day 1 and that's the opportunity that I'm looking for."@Gretti_53 speaks on free agency pic.twitter.com/hDq2cfvdkF
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) March 1, 2024
"We’re figuring that out as we go," said Allegretti. "I’m obviously allowed to talk to the Chiefs right now and then the tampering window’s coming up. It’ll be interesting. It’ll be a tough couple of weeks trying to make that decision. Obviously, I love Kansas City, but I’m definitely looking for a place to go start, make my name as a full-time starter.
"The best thing about football for me as an offensive lineman is the option and the availability to go lead a group of men," he continues. "That’s one of my favorite parts about football and the best way to do that is to be a starter day one and that's the opportunity that I'm looking for. I want to go to an organization and have an impact as a player and have an impact in that locker room as a leader."
Allegretti joined the Chiefs five years ago as a former sixth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Illinois.