KC Chiefs LB Drue Tranquill on New Contract, Super Bowl, Quest for Another Ring
During free agency, one of the main draws of playing for the Kansas City Chiefs is the allure of competing for a championship. No player experienced a greater example of that than linebacker Drue Tranquill, who loved his first year so much that he's re-upped for more.
Late last week, it was announced that Tranquill was set to return on a new three-year contract. With the deal signed, the 28-year-old spoke to the media on Wednesday morning and had quite a bit to say about returning.
Now just over a month removed from winning his first Super Bowl, Tranquill is already looking ahead to the 2024-25 season.
"Well, Mick (Shaffer), it's been fantastic," Tranquill said. "I'm used to the season ending there in the middle of January and to be able to play football into February... I was telling my wife and teammates, 'This is the first game in February I've ever played in my entire life.' It was special. It's been a special past month. It's a quick turnaround, obviously, with OTAs around the corner here but man, I want to do it again and again and again. I was telling my linebacker coach, 'I feel more hungry to go win a Super Bowl now than I did six months ago.' And he goes, 'It's the strangest feeling.' He's won six himself. The hunger to go win another one is crazy. I'm excited."
Last offseason, Tranquill experienced free agency for the first time. While he initially hoped to return to the Los Angeles Chargers, that plan fell through and he was left with the possibility of one-year deals to choose from. Kansas City was one of the teams pursuing him, with head coach Andy Reid even factoring into the sales pitch. Both sides settled on a $3 million pact, landing the Chiefs a depth piece and landing Tranquill a chance to win.
One season was all it took for him to know Kansas City was where he wanted to be long-term.
"It's crazy how fast things can change in one year," Tranquill said. "To be able to sign a deal for my family to be here for the next three years, it's just really special. It's a place we want to be and certainly want to be a part of for years to come."
Due to some unforeseen injuries to top linebacker Nick Bolton, Tranquill wound up playing a bigger role this past season than the team anticipated. During the regular season, he logged 57% of available snaps for Steve Spagnuolo's defense and had six games of at least 95% of reps played. He did a little bit of everything in those contests, recording 78 tackles (seven for loss), seven quarterback hits, 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.
Considering Bolton's lack of consistent availability, there's an argument to be made that Tranquill was the club's best linebacker in 2023-24. His combination of terrific coverage, high football IQ, leadership and an aggressive mentality helped keep the defense afloat. Tranquill emerged as a trusted piece very early on, justifying his previous salary and more. He has more work to do for his new $19M contract to be worth it, but he's excited for the challenge.
"I think there's greatness inside all of us," Tranquill said. "There's something to be said about being around people who are hungry to achieve something special. I think I got a taste of that last year when I just look at our player leaders and coaches. And then obviously getting the chance to hoist the Lombardi myself at the end of the year. There's something about reaching the pinnacle in our sport, which is hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, and you just want to do it again."
No complacency here.
"I don't sense — at least in myself, I can speak for myself — I don't feel any feelings internally of, 'Man, I made it,'" Tranquill said. "There's a sense that I haven't made it and we've got to go do this thing again. To be able to do something that nobody's ever done, which is win it three times in a row... man there's a hunger. I can sense it."
