Brett Veach helped get the Kansas City Chiefs enough talent to propel them to their first Super bowl victory in 50 years. Now, he’s done a bang up job at helping them stay contenders for the foreseeable future.
In 2017, the Kansas City Chiefs were set for an exciting offseason. They had just drafted a first round quarterback for the first time in decades. The team was coming off yet another winning season, albeit fresh off another disappointing postseason loss, but expectations were high.
Then the shocking news that Kansas City had fired general manager John Dorsey dropped, and the future of the team became uncertain. The team had a new quarterback, new general manager, an aging cast of stars, and now questions if the Chiefs were tearing it down and going full scale rebuild cast a cloud of doubt over the franchise.
Enter Brett Veach.
Veach has done nothing but win as GM, both on and off the field, since taking over. He is a sly cap manager, a good talent evaluator and drafter, and overall seems to have the respect of almost everyone in the Kansas City locker room.
His reputation is growing on a national level, and people are starting to take notice of just how good Veach has been for the Kansas City Chiefs. That being said, Veach is still undervalued in the eye of public perception because some of the moves he has made have flown under the radar
That is why I thought it was a good idea to take an in depth look at all the moves Veach has made since taking over as general manager.
Over three years, he laid out a solid foundation and built upon it to deliver Kansas City its first Super Bowl in 50 years. Every move has been calculated, and his plan has been executed to perfection.
Let’s start this journey through the world of Brett Veach in 2018.
Veach didn’t get a full offseason in 2017 to really flex his prowess, and 2018 was the first time he got to start running the team his way in full. It started off with two blockbuster trades that would kickstart Kansas City’s rise to power.
The Chiefs sent Alex Smith to the Washington football franchise for Kendall Fuller and a third round pick, as well as sending Marcus Peters to the Los Angeles Rams for a second and fouth round pick. These trades were huge in Kansas City, as Peters and Smith were two of the teams very best players.
These moves were tough, as well, because neither player fetched a first round return despite their recent successes. Some doubted Veach because of this, as Patrick Mahomes was unproven and the Chiefs secondary was already thin.
Past those two trades, Veach started off free agency with a bang by signing future playoff standout Sammy Watkins to a big contract. Veach was also able to sign another future playoff standout, Damien Williams, to a modest contract as well as retain key players Anthony Sherman and Dustin Colquitt.
This was also Veach’s first draft class with the team. Admittedly, this class leaves a lot to be desired.
The team didn’t have a first round pick, and in the second round they drafted Breeland Speaks, who to this point has had no on field impact. Dorian O’Daniel, Khalil McKenzie, and Armani Watts were also a part of this draft class, and none of them have had any sustained success or impact for the team.
Other moves made throughout the season included the trade for Charvarius Ward, the release of Kareem Hunt, and the extension of Damien Williams.
Conclusion: A weak draft class may have hurt Veach’s reputation a little, but the additions of players like Watkins, Ward, and Williams really set the team up for success in the future.
The Ward trade especially stand out, as the Chiefs only gave up back up guard Parker Ehinger, who never touched the field for the Cowboys. The Hunt situation also ended up being a black cloud over the franchise, but it was handled swiftly by Veach and company and they made the right decision to sever ties with the star running back.
2019 was the year that Brett Veach really started to flex his muscles as a general manager.
It truly is incredible to see all the moves he had and how almost every one of them worked out.
Coming fresh off of a disappointing AFC Championship loss, Veach acted quickly, replacing Bob Sutton as defensive coordinator and bringing in Steve Spagnuolo. He also made the difficult decision to release long time franchise cornerstones Eric Berry and Justin Houston. Dee Ford was also franchise tagged and traded, and the roster, especially the defense, was about to see a ton of change.
Veach kicked off free agency that year by bringing in star defensive back Tyrann Mathieu. He also signed running back Carlos Hyde and defensive end Alex Okafor. He added starting cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who had an interception in the Super Bowl and a game winning pass defense against New England.
Damien Wilson signed with the team as well. His impact may not have been as big as some others, but he did provide depth and solid play at linebacker over the season.
Veach really showed his wits in trades in 2019. He kicked it off by trading away Eric Murray for Emmanuel Ogbah, who was leading the team in sacks before he went down with injury.
He then acquired defensive end Frank Clark from the Seattles Seahawks for a first and second round pick. He managed to turn his Hyde signing into a trade with the Houston Texans for former third round pick Martinas Rankins.
Veach’s draft class also was a big success.
Juan Thornhill and Mecole Hardman look to be big pieces of the future for the team. Khalen Saunders was a developmental pick that saw time last year, and Rashad Fenton is a decent depth piece and special teamer that saw playing time in the Super Bowl.
Other moves that Veach made this year were the signings of LeSean McCoy and Terrell Suggs. Both were involved in big time plays for the team, McCoy at the beginning of the year and Suggs at the end.
Tyreek Hill was also extended, locking up the star wide receiver until the 2023 season. Right tackle Mitchell Schwartz and kicker Harrison Butker also signed extensions. Matt Moore was brought in as well, leading the Chiefs to two wins in three games after Mahomes went down with injury.
Veach brought in defensive lineman Mike Pennel during the season, which drastically changed the team’s rushing defense.
Conclusion: Find a move here that failed. Go ahead. Even the moves that didn’t work out that weren’t mentioned, like the signing of Morris Claiborne, had no negative impact on the franchise.
Terrell Suggs. Beshaud Breeland. Frank Clark. Tyrann Mathieu. Juan Thornhill. Mecole Hardman. Mike Pennell. All of these guys had a giant hand in helping the Chiefs win the Super Bowl. Not only that, but young guys like Thornhill and Hardman set the team up for success in the future, as both project as high level starters this year.
The extensions of Butker, Schwartz, and Hill also lock up dominant players at their positions for reasonable contracts, which is what good franchises do.
Veach couldn’t stop winning in 2019.
2020 started off with the draft.
The team didn’t have a lot of cash to spend, so free agency was quiet for the most part. We have not seen any of these rookies play yet, but this has potential to be Veach’s best draft class yet.
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire is built for this offense and gives the Chiefs a cost controlled option at running back for five years.
- Willie Gay Jr. is an athletic freak at linebacker who could add some juice in regards to coverage ability and flash plays to an otherwise boring group.
- Lucas Niang didn’t allow a sack in college, and has a chance to compete at guard as a starter, as well as being a future prospect to replace Eric Fisher at left tackle.
The Chiefs are a Super Bowl winning team returning almost every starter, and all three of these rookies have a chance to start from day one. That just speaks to the great job that Veach and the scouting department did this draft to find these value picks later in rounds.
The draft was nice, but what the Kansas City Chiefs were able to do in regards to solidifying the future was insane.
Sammy Watkins kicked things off by restructuring his deal, and long-time fan favorite punter Dustin Colquitt got the ax. Those were the only two moves that Veach had to make in order to extend quarterback Patrick Mahomes AND Chris Jones in the same offseason.
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Veach has been a wizard with the salary cap.
At one point this offseason, the Chiefs only had $177 to spend. Now, Jones and Mahomes are extended and Kansas City still has a little wiggle room in the cap if a future move needs to be made.
That is the crazy thing – Veach isn’t done yet. He is a master of trading for players that other teams are ready to get rid of, and he still may have a few tricks up his sleeve to excite fans this year.
Conclusion: Brett Veach has it all in his arsenal. He is aggressive. He isn’t afraid to let go of an aging star, or swing a big trade for a star if it helps his team.
He fired a defensive coordinator straight off of a AFC Championship appearance. He won’t sit on his hands and be satisfied with anything other than success. He is savvy, shown in how he manipulates the cap and finds bargain players that people are ready to give up on. He is also a great talent evaluator.
Before becoming general manager, Veach was the one pounding the table hardest for Mahomes. Now we have exciting prospects like Hardman, Thornhill and Edwards-Helaire on the roster.
Veach needs to start getting some credit as the best general manager in the league. He has laid the foundation for a potential dynasty, and if the past is any indication, he won’t stop until he achieves that goal.