As one of the final teams playing in Super Bowl 59, the Kansas City Chiefs were late arrivals to the 2025 NFL offseason. To that end, that means the Chiefs were also among the last teams to announce the signing of any players to reserve/futures deals.
The signing of a player to a futures deal means they are going to have a spot on the team's 90-man offseason roster when the new league year begins. The Chiefs announced deals for 11 players and all of them should be familiar names to diehard fans, even if many of them are newer to the team in the last month or two.
Some players are even well-known to less passionate fans, which gives the Chiefs some reliable veterans to compete for roster spots alongside the first-year players who will eventually join the roster during and after the 2025 NFL Draft.
Here's a breakdown of each player signed to a futures deal by the Chiefs and what the team might be thinking.
Jason Brownlee
Jason Brownlee is a new face around Arrowhead, but like others on this list, he was added shortly before the season ended in order to secure his services for a longer look on the 2025 roster. The former New York Jets receiver was a pet project as a lengthy receiver out of Southern Miss that ultimately didn't pan out. Now the Chiefs are hoping they can coach him up into something useful, too.
Deon Bush
The veteran safety is a favorite of Dave Toub and has proven his worth even in big moments for the Chiefs since first coming over from the Chicago Bears in 2023. At this stage, Bush is a practice squad player good for some promotions during the season to serve as special teams help and secondary depth, but his experience is going to make him a favorite over other contenders for core teamer roles.
Baylor Cupp
Baylor Cupp is an athletic tight end out of Texas Tech who found a place on the Chiefs' practice squad after going undrafted in 2024. Unfortunately an injury marred his season and the Chiefs signed Jody Fortson to maintain some depth and security. The Chiefs like him enough to see how he can progress in another offseason.
Siaki Ika
The Chiefs took another late-season flyer on Siaki Ika when they signed him to the practice squad in December. Ika is a former third-round pick of the Cleveland Browns who only played 100 total snaps in 2023 before being cut in 2024. It's a surprisingly short stay for a third-round run stuffer, but the Eagles even tried a short tryout in 2024 as well and cut him after a month.
Chukwuebuka Godrick
"Jason" Godrick has been around the Chiefs as an offensive line prospect since signing with the team via the International Player Pathways (IPP) program. Such signings are intended to focus on long-term development, so now the Chiefs enter year three with Godrick as a potential contributor.
Fabien Lovett
Some thought Lovett would be a day three pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, so the Chiefs scored points with draft analysts when they landed him as an undrafted free agent. While he didn't earn any time on the active roster and was already old as a prospect to begin with (25), Lovett profiled as a big body inside with pass-rushing upside coming out of Florida State. Perhaps that still holds true.
Chris Oladokun
The Chiefs are going to bring back Chris Oladokun for another run at being the scout team quarterback in 2025. There's usually another fourth QB addition to keep things lively in OTAs and training camp—last season it was Ian Book—so expect at least one more addition here as the Chiefs sort out whether or not Carson Wentz is also returning to back up Patrick Mahomes.
Justyn Ross
No introduction needed here. Justyn Ross has been a known quantity in Kansas City since he signed as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft. He's been around for the entire three-peat attempt, but in that time, he's also watched his stock fall from preseason fan favorite to unproductive veteran. Will he ever grow into the sort of role envisioned for him by the most ideal fans? Likely not, but the Chiefs like him enough to keep him on the roster for another spring.
Darius Rush
Rush is a young corner who the Chiefs have been infatuated with to some degree or another for a while. Going back as far as 2023, the Chiefs have flirted with Rush on the fringes of the roster, and while he's taken other stints with the Colts and Steelers, Rush has stuck around since last season. The lengthy corner was Indy's fifth round pick in 2023 and it's possible he's a late bloomer for K.C. in '25.
Eric Scott
The Chiefs made a surprising waiver claim last summer when they grabbed former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Eric Scott when making active roster cuts. They actually released Nic Jones to add Scott to the mix, making it clear they were ready for fresh competition at the end of the depth chart there. Scott's still around, so perhaps he's got an inside lane toward one of the final spots in camp this year.
Tyquan Thornton
The Chiefs made a minor decision near season's end to bring the former New England Patriots wide receiver in house on the practice squad, which made it clear they wanted to secure a longer look at him going forward. Thus it's not surprising to see Tyquan Thornton extended a futures deal. A solid roll of the dice, especially for special teams/return value.
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