Why Tyquan Thornton's Departure is Imminent for Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs and General Manager Brett Veach are looking for ways to turn a team that finished 6-11 in the 2025 NFL season into legitimate title contenders once again. Getting Patrick Mahomes back healthy for a full campaign will certainly help, but this roster showed that it's far from Super Bowl-ready even when its star quarterback is available under center.

Not only does Veach have to add the right pieces to flesh out the depth chart, but he also has to ensure that KC retains its key pieces from last season. The Chiefs have several players hitting free agency, and with their limited cap space, they won't be able to keep all of them. Tyquan Thornton is one who's almost certainly going to land on a different team this offseason.

Kansas City Chiefs, NFL, Tyquan Thornton, Buffalo Bills — Nov 2, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (80) warms up before the game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Tyquan Thornton's time with the Chiefs is up

Despite the team's overall lackluster performance, Tyquan Thornton put together an admirable season for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2025. He began his career with two and a half middling campaigns for the New England Patriots after they took him in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Baylor. He couldn't crack the rotation for a weak Pats wide receiver room, leading New England to waive him in 2024. The Kansas City Chiefs were able to sign him to their practice squad as a result.

This season, with Rashee Rice suspended for the first six games and Xavier Worthy missing two games with a dislocated shoulder, Thornton got an increased opportunity, and he took advantage of it for KC. He finished the year with 19 catches for 438 yards and three touchdowns, all of which were career highs for him after four seasons.

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Unfortunately, it appears that the Chiefs were more of a launching pad for Thornton than a new home. The Chiefs are set to be well over the salary cap this offseason, and they have much more pressing needs if they are able to free up any money for free agency. Even if Rashee Rice is suspended again for next season, Kansas City still has five other wideouts under contract through 2026, including Jason Brownlee, who it just re-signed on a future/reserve deal.

Veach's decision to bring Brownlee back suggests that the Chiefs are ready to part ways with Thornton and their other free-agent wide receivers. For what it's worth, Thornton seems ready to move on, too, hoping to find a larger role after his mini-breakout season: "Definitely want to be back to Kansas City. But, you know, I mean, I want to — wherever I go — I want to have my fair share of targets go out there and contribute and play at a high level.”

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