The smoke has cleared from Super Bowl LIX, and the Kansas City Chiefs have fallen short in their quest to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight championships. But the show goes on. With the NFL Combine and free agency looming, it's time for the Chiefs to take a hard look at how to improve the roster. That process always begins with addressing the pending free agent class.
General manager Brett Veach faces some difficult decisions about which players will continue their careers in Kansas City and which will be playing elsewhere in 2025. The key for him will be identifying positions where the team can lean on younger, inexpensive players—freeing up resources to invest in premium spots on the roster.
Let’s take a look at three players where this approach might make sense.
Trey Smith, offensive line
Perhaps the biggest roster decision facing the Chiefs ahead of the new league year is what to do with former sixth-round pick and 2024 Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith. The five-year veteran out of Tennessee has spent four seasons anchoring one of the league's best interior offensive lines. Now, he's in position to command a generous nine-figure contract. Whether he ultimately receives one from the team that drafted him in 2021 remains uncertain.
On Wednesday, reports indicated that while the official salary cap number for the 2025 season hasn't been set, it's expected to fall between $277.5 million and $281.5 million per team. That should leave Kansas City with approximately $8 million of available space. There are several options available to create additional headroom, but that's a solid starting point. Smith is likely to command the heaviest coin of the Chiefs' pending free agent class so it's worth considering if this is a spot where a younger player could succeed him.
I think the criteria for such a consideration comprise one of two key factors: an inexpensive but competent veteran reserve or a young player who has demonstrated the ability to assume a larger role. Let’s call it the Cost Efficiency-Competency Factor. While 2024 draftee Kingsley Suamataia spent time at guard—including a Week 18 start at left guard against the Denver Broncos—the sample size is too small to check the latter box.
Fortunately for the Chiefs, they have Mike Caliendo, who logged six starts during the 2024 campaign (regular season and postseason). Let me be clear: Caliendo is a significant step down from Smith, but he's a league-average player who, at best, is a serviceable option at right guard and, at worst, solid competition for Kingsley Suamataia and Wanya Morris—two players who may be better suited to play inside anyway, due to the limitations of their game.
Charles Omenihu, defensive line
Another trench position the Chiefs will need to address is on the defensive side at the edge. Seventh-year man Charles Omenihu is set to become a free agent on March 12—unless Kansas City extends him first. In 23 career games with Kansas City, Omenihu has recorded 46 combined tackles and 10 sacks (regular season and postseason). His time's been cut short in each of his two seasons with the Chiefs, first due to a violation of the league's personal conduct policy and later when he suffered a torn ACL in the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Omenihu's helped to elevate the team's pass rush, particularly in 2024 when he returned from injury. He's been worth the modest two-year, $16 million contract he signed when he came to Kansas City. Six weeks after Omenihu was signed, the team took Felix Anudike-Uzomah with the 31st pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. Both Omenihu and Mike Danna turn 28 during the 2025 season. At some point, the Chiefs will have to clear a path to the field for their young defensive end. Is now the right time to look toward the future at this position?
This transition might be trickier than it appears at first glance. At this stage, Omenihu's the more complete player. Surprisingly, Anudike-Uzomah posted a higher pass-rushing grade according to Pro Football Focus in 2024 (60.5 to Omenihu's 60.1), but he hasn't proven the ability to hold the edge as a run defender. Omenihu has the prototypical size coveted by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. His size and length make him stronger at the point of attack and serve his ability to disengage from blockers.
Were Omenihu to depart, the likelihood is that Danna would replace him as the starter. His 35 NFL starts make him the prohibitive favorite in Omenihu's stead. However, such a move elevates Anudike-Uzomah in the pass-rushing pecking order, giving the Chiefs a chance to assess the viability of picking up his fifth-year option. Live game-action will either help him blossom or more quickly rule out a long-term future in Kansas City.
Justin Reid, safety
One area where the Chiefs have consistently embraced a youth movement is in their defensive secondary. Since Brett Veach became general manager, he hasn't extended the contract of any secondary player at any position.
In fairness, this isn't a reflection of Veach’s unwillingness to pay secondary players, but rather the challenges he faced in identifying talented defensive backs early in his tenure. You could argue that only two such players have warranted an extension: safety Tyrann Mathieu and cornerback L'Jarius Sneed. The former was allowed to hit free agency, while the latter was traded to the Tennessee Titans. This trend is likely to change soon, potentially within the next few weeks, with veteran safety Justin Reid.
Spotrac is projecting Reid's market value set at $17.1 million in average annual salary per season, with a potential three-year deal totaling $51 million. While that's a significant number, the former Texan just turned 28 years old earlier this month. An extension would give him some security without hitching the team to a long, cap-prohibitive contract. That said, it's worth asking if young safeties in the wings are capable of keeping the secondary stable without Reid's leadership. If the dropoff is negligible, resources could be reallocated to premium positions, such as left tackle.
2024 draftee Jaden Hicks has flashed the potential to be a splash player in the secondary, but the decision about Justin Reid's future with the team goes beyond athleticism. His command of the defense and football acumen aren't easily replaced with Hicks or Chamarri Conner. Neither has yet demonstrated the ability to be the brains of another otherwise young secondary.
Moving on from Reid would lower schematic possibilities for Steve Spagnuolo. Versatility is a calling card of this defense and without a reliable and experienced leader, the plug-and-play ability of the unit could be compromised. That said, it might be worth considering if a low-profile free agent signing (in the mold of a player like Mike Edwards) could help to smooth out that transition period, while simultaneously reducing salary commitments at the position.
These are difficult decisions that will potentially have major implications on the roster construction of the 2025 Chiefs. Moving on from proven veterans, in favor of younger options, is nothing to be taken lightly and requires careful consideration. The Kansas City Chiefs can't afford to waste the prime years of its franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Retooling the roster is appropriate given the result of Super Bowl LIX (an embarrassing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles), but continuity will also be key in staying competitive. Answers are coming soon with the new league year approaching.