Chiefs Star Lands on Bittersweet List After 2025 Season

It's not always great for a player to get the recognition they deserve.

Jul 22, 2025; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach walks down the hill to the fields during training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

General Manager Brett Veach has his work cut out for him this offseason. He'll be tasked with bringing the Kansas City Chiefs back to Super Bowl contention in a few months. The good news is that he should have superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes back healthy next season. The bad news is that he has plenty of holes to address and not many avenues to fill them.

Kansas City will have six picks in the first five rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft. However, they have more needs than six already, and more could open up by the time April rolls in. Free agency will be a net loss for the Chiefs this year, no matter how Veach and the staff work it. KC will be deep in the red in terms of cap space, and they have several key players hitting the open market.

Nov 23, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson (35) is introduced before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Chiefs won't be able to afford Jaylen Watson

Several starters for the Kansas City Chiefs are unrestricted free agents this offseason. One of them will be cornerback Jaylen Watson, who was their CB2 in 15 games this year, next to Trent McDuffie. He was a key part of KC's defensive success this season. As a team, they allowed the 12th-fewest passing yards per game and tied for 15th in yards per attempt.

For Watson's effort, Pro Football Focus graded him 74.9 as an overall defender, which was 13th among all qualifying cornerbacks. In coverage, he earned a 69.4, which ranked in the top 30. He'd be an easy keeper in free agency if the Chiefs weren't projected to be over $58 million over the salary cap. General Manager Brett Veach would have to do some creative financial finagling to free up the money to re-sign him. With the way he played, Kansas City might not be able to afford him at all.

Jaylen Watson gone next year pic.twitter.com/Mcy6JDNbtT

— RiceCity (@Mahomes_Magic_5) January 3, 2026

The Ringer's Austin Gayle ranked him as the 18th-best available free agent in this cycle: "Watson is a tall, long-armed cornerback who has improved every year of his career. Over the last two seasons, Watson has allowed just one touchdown and recorded three pass breakups and two interceptions, per PFF. He’s a scheme-versatile, disciplined player with more than 2,000 snaps played at outside corner over the last four years. Watson may not have a ton of ball production, but he makes up for it with down-to-down consistency and an overall reluctance to give up the big play."

"The Chiefs currently have the least 2026 cap space of any team in the league, making it hard to imagine that they can afford to keep Watson (and others in his draft class like safety Bryan Cook and linebacker Leo Chenal) on the franchise tag or a new multiyear extension. DJ Reed, Christian Benford, Charvarius Ward, and Carlton Davis — outside corners with decent résumés like Watson’s — signed multiyear contracts in the $16 million to $18 million per year range last offseason; Watson could be looking for something similar."

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