Andrew Buller-Russ
The annual NFL Draft is an exciting time in the football world. It’s the one event that is guaranteed to add talent to every team’s roster. This year, the Kansas City Chiefs placed a heavy emphasis on reinforcing a defense that already ranked sixth in points allowed in 2025.
Of the seven players Chiefs general manager Brett Veach selected, four of them were defenders, and the team’s final three selections were all offensive prospects. The Chiefs even drafted a quarterback, taking LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier with the 249th overall selection in the seventh round.
Naturally, Nussmeier’s arrival means another Chiefs quarterback will have to move on. It won’t be Patrick Mahomes, who’s recovering from a torn ACL, and it also won’t be former first-round pick Justin Fields, whom the team just signed in free agency this offseason.
On Monday, the Chiefs announced that they’ve released QB Jake Haener from the roster. The 27-year-old arrived as the 127th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft with the New Orleans Saints.
He lasted two seasons with the Saints before being released just before the 2025 league year started. Haener spent the bulk of last season operating on the Saints’ practice squad. Once the offseason arrived, the Chiefs promptly signed him to a contract. Yet, now nearly three months later, the Chiefs have determined they’d rather move forward with a QB group consisting of Mahomes, Fields, Nussmeier, and Chris Oladokun.
Related: 2026 NFL Power Rankings: Evaluating Worst, Best Teams After NFL Draft
