After winning their second straight Super Bowl and their third in five seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs would seemingly have few concerns going into the offseason.
But there’s a reason that oddsmakers favor the San Francisco 49ers, their Super Bowl LVIII opponents, to win next year’s Super Bowl. The Kansas City Chiefs have far more roster concerns than the 49ers, and GM Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid — who’s expected back — will need to work overtime this offseason to bring back a team that can win an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl.
There are questions about whether Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce will come back for another season or perhaps retire with his brother, Jason Kelce, the Philadelphia Eagles center who hasn’t officially announced his intentions. The two could then enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame together in five years.
Along with Kelce’s status being somewhat uncertain, the Kansas City Chiefs might have to refill spots along their defensive line and at wide receiver. But their biggest decision of the offseason involves one of the NFL’s best defensive players, who is set to become the No. 1 player on the free agent market.
Here are the four offseason moves the Kansas City Chiefs need to make to return for their third Super Bowl title in a row.
Related: Top NFL free agents of 2024
Sign Chris Jones to a long-term deal
Allowing Jones to leave through free agency would be sacrilege among Kansas City Chiefs fans, who just saw Jones wreck the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII and would yell a collective “NO!” at the thought of losing the All-Pro defensive tackle. Let’s examine this controversial decision more closely.
Jones, the league’s best defensive tackle not named Aaron Donald, just completed his eighth NFL season in which he recorded 10.5 sacks. He’s been invited to five straight Pro Bowls, he was selected to his second straight All-Pro first team, and obviously, he just won his third Super Bowl title.
The Chiefs can’t place the franchise tag him on Jones again because it’ll cost them more than $32 million, the largest tag hit ever for a non-quarterback.
For the Chiefs, signing Jones to a long-term deal could give them cap flexibility in the short term. Yet he’ll likely seek a deal that approximates the one last offseason for San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player, who got a 5-year, $170 million contract.
That’s a risky move; Bosa’s deal is more justifiable than a comparable one for Jones because Bosa is three years younger than Jones, who turns 30 in July. As Jones’ cap number rises each year, the Kansas City Chiefs will need to be ultra-creative about structuring it so that Jones is compensated appropriately while not hindering the Chiefs’ ability to improve the rest of the roster.
Related: NFL defense rankings
Place franchise tag on L’Jarius Sneed
If the Chiefs aren’t going to tag Jones, then they’ll need to do so for their second biggest unrestricted free agent, and that is Sneed, another talented defender who formed one of the league’s best cornerback tandems with All-Pro Trent McDuffie.
The Chiefs’ secondary is the strength of the defense, a huge reason they ranked No. 2 in total defense and No. 4 in pass defense, and Sneed and McDuffie just got done rendering 49ers receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel relatively ineffective in Super Bowl LVIII.
A franchise tag on Sneed would cost around $19 million for one year, but it would buy the Chiefs at least one more season with Sneed in their defensive backfield and then they could consider a multi-year deal for the corner man once again after the 2024 season.
Sign free agent LT Tyron Smith
For the Chiefs to continue winning, they need to place a premium on protecting their best player, quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs’ current left tackle is Donovan Smith, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent. Smith, however, received a grade from Pro Football Focus that ranked him 61st out of 81 offensive tackles. And he particularly struggled as a pass blocker.
Tyron Smith, an eight-time Pro Bowl left tackle for the Dallas Cowboys, is 33 and set to hit the market. He’s been an injury concern after the past few years, missing time last year with a torn hamstring and the year before with ankle injuries, yet he’s still effective, receiving PFF’s fourth-highest grade among all tackles.
The Chiefs could sign Tyron Smith to either a team-friendly one- or two-year contract that is laden with incentives and, if he stays healthy, potentially form a formidable left side of the offensive line with Tyron Smith and All-Pro guard Joe Thuney.
Related: Kansas City Chiefs’ Andy Reid makes firm decision about future after back-to-back Super Bowl titles
Draft a wide receiver
Without a doubt, the Kansas City Chiefs’ No. 1 draft need is wide receiver, but that’s no fault of Rashee Rice, their second-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. Rice ended up being one of the league’s best rookie receivers and a reliable go-to target for Mahomes, catching 79 passes for 938 yards and seven touchdowns.
Overall, however, the Chiefs’ receivers were a disappointment, leading the NFL in dropped passes and dropped pass percentage. With Mecole Hardman and Richie James set to become unrestricted free agents, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Kadarius Toney likely to be released, the Chiefs will need to replenish their receiving corps, and there’s no better and more cost-effective way than through the NFL Draft.
With a deep receiving class, the Chiefs should have some quality options when it’s their turn to make the 32nd and final first-round pick. One receiver likely to be available is Oregon’s Troy Franklin, a versatile route runner and home-run threat who caught 14 touchdown passes last season.
The Chiefs, who have six draft picks, might not stop with just one receiver. But a potential receiving combination that includes Rice and Franklin, coupled with Kelce at tight end, could make the Chiefs’ passing attack much stronger in 2024.