The Kansas City Chiefs were hoping Tyquan Thornton could fly. The question, after three frustrating seasons with the New England Patriots, was whether he would ever put it all together on Sundays. Three weeks into the 2025 season, the answer is starting to come into focus.
Thornton signed to the Chiefs' practice squad after his release from New England last November, and spent the winter and spring quietly learning a new playbook and building relationships inside K.C.'s locker room. That experience paid off when he made Kansas City's active roster out of training camp following a buzzed-about preseason performance.
For an offense missing its most vital components, Thornton has emerged as an early-season revelation for Patrick Mahomes, a trusted target who anchored the passing attack in the Chiefs' first win of the season. In the Week 3 win over the New York Giants, Thornton led the team with five catches for 71 yards and 1 touchdown, the latest round of evidence that something truly special is blooming in real time.
Once labeled a disappointment in New England, Tyquan Thornton is finding his stride in Kansas City with a breakout start with the Chiefs.
“I feel like I’ve been getting pretty comfortable,” Thornton said after practice on Wednesday as the Chiefs prepare to host the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4. “Just being here at the end of last year, seeing the offense, learning the language and terminology and just building a bond with my teammates. I feel like I’ve just been doing well.”
Thornton’s time in New England was clouded in frustration. The former second-round choice was termed a bust by everyone in Foxborough as the flashes of potential never translated into game-day impact. Injuries didn't help Thornton's case. Neither did a revolving cast of offensive coaches. Then there was the heavy criticism from those covering the team
“The media used to try to beat up on me a little bit,” Thornton admitted on Wednesday. “I remember not having the best game of my career, being a young player, going on Twitter and seeing the media just beating you up, beating you up, beating you up. I used to get down on myself a little bit.”
Thornton's tenure with the Chiefs has offered him a reset. Surrounded by proven veterans and led by a Hall of Fame head coach, Thornton has leaned into the finer points of the position, from timing to communication.
“I’m learning a lot. I learn every day,” Thornton said. “I learn a little bit from my teammates, taking the little things from some of these veteran players on how I can be better on the little things and going out there each and every day on the practice field and challenging myself.”
With 9 catches for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns in three games for the Chiefs, Thornton is already within striking distance of career marks in every primary receiving category. It's given him the chance to push back on the early media backlash. And as for any advice he'd give other struggling players, he'd encourage them to avoid the circus on social media.
“It’s not really healthy at all,” said Thornton with a laugh. “Being a young player, I’d give you the advice, if you’re not doing well, don’t look at Twitter at all.”