Kansas City Chiefs off to quiet start in 2020 free agency
The new year in the NFL began on Wednesday and Kansas City Chiefs fans might have been bummed not to see their team make any moves in free agency.
While other teams in the AFC West made trades and also brought in key free agents, the Kansas City Chiefs made zero noise on Wednesday. The only action that’s happened with the team has been them losing players with Kendall Fuller heading to the Redskins and Emmanuel Ogbah signing with the Dolphins.
Other than that, the Chiefs laid low, and hey – They have that right, as they’re the reigning Super Bowl champions. As of Wednesday evening, the only two teams who didn’t add anyone in free agency were the Chiefs and the 49ers – the two teams who met in Super Bowl LIV. Even then, San Francisco still had a trade that took place while the Chiefs have been very quiet.
In all honesty, Chiefs Kingdom probably didn’t expect the team to make a ton of moves this offseason anyway, so this isn’t really surprising.
There are just two teams that have not added any players from outside of their organization so far this offseason: the Chiefs and 49ers.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 18, 2020
That is - at least in part - a reflection of two already formidable rosters where fewer holes exist and a premium placed on retaining talent.
The reason for the quiet start to the offseason is because the Chiefs might have a lot of money tied up in just a few players.
More from Chiefs Free Agency
- The Kansas City Chiefs Address Defense with This Mock Draft
- Three Cornerbacks the Chiefs Should Pursue in Free Agency
- What Potential Free Agents Could Sign with the Kansas City Chiefs
- Kansas City Chiefs Should Look at These Free Agent Edge Rushers
- The Chiefs Begin the Offseason. What Can We Look Forward To?
For one, they’re trying to figure out what to do with Chris Jones. Will they try to get him signed to a long-term deal? Will they try to find a trade partner for him? Keeping Jones means the team will have a lot less money to spend on the open market, but it’s also going to be tough to find someone to replicate the kind of talent he possesses.
If Jones is traded, then the Chiefs will need to find someone to “replace” him along the defensive line and maybe they try and retain Mike Pennel, who had a tremendous season in 2019. Pennel returning would be a welcomed sight for Chiefs fans and he’d be significantly cheaper than Jones.
The Chiefs also might end up extending Patrick Mahomes this offseason and he’ll undoubtedly be the highest paid player in the NFL when he does get paid. With the new CBA approved, it won’t be surprising for the Chiefs and Mahomes to strike some sort of deal.
With a Super Bowl title on the resumé, the Kansas City Chiefs don’t have as much pressure to make a huge splash in free agency. They have their core, which consists of Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Mitchell Schwartz, Frank Clark, and Tyrann Mathieu (potentially Jones as well, but we’ll see what happens there) and that’s the big thing to remember here right now.
Let the other teams go out and sign their free agents, but the Kansas City Chiefs are the reigning world champions and as long as they have their core, they should be good to go in 2020 and beyond.