The Kansas City Chiefs' focus has officially shifted to the offseason with Week 18 in the books, and the franchise can focus on its myriad of needs. While the players they add in are incredibly important, just as important are pieces Kansas City is willing to move past, refusing to settle for underperforming players.
Being content with mediocrity and leaning on the genius of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coachAndy Reid is the biggest culprit in setting up the failures of the 2025 season. With this in mind, let's look at three free agents who under no circumstances should be expected to rejoin the Kansas City 2026 roster.
1. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR
The aging receiver offered the Chiefs 345 receiving yards and a lone touchdown in what was an underwhelming 2025 season. It isn't the poor numbers that rule out a potential return, but the eye test that exposed just how frustrating Kansas City's depth at receiver has become. JuJu Smith-Schuster looked old and slow on the field, unable to find separation and an easy tackle to make anytime he was lucky enough to catch the football.
Smith-Schuster has been a valued contributor in the past, winning a Super Bowl in 2022 with the franchise and helping the Chiefs win the AFC a season ago. However, it is clearly past time to turn the page and bring in youth at the position. It's going on eight years since his only 1,000-yard campaign, and he's now failed to hit 500 yards in three straight seasons. His best days are behind him, and Kansas City needs to give his roster spot to a younger talent.
The Chiefs need to start fresh when it comes to their lack of playmaker depth, and Smith-Schuster is a big piece of this. It's time to turn the page on him, allowing the veteran playmaker to see if he can extend his career elsewhere.
2. Nikko Remigio, WR
Heading into the season, special teams coordinator Dave Toub made a public plea to keep Remigio on the roster. This was the decision the franchise opted to make, jettisoning Skyy Moore, who has gone on to have an impressive impact on the San Francisco 49ers. Remigio offered only 25.6 yards per return and never appeared to be a true threat in the return game. It was a stale piece of Kansas City's game that often included catching punts or kicks that would've been better off allowed to finish their trajectory.
Remigio has incredibly reliable hands, but this has limited upside if you cannot create explosive plays and offer little awareness of where you catch the football. It doesn't help that he didn't make any noise as a receiver, being targeted just once on a limited 31 offensive snaps — eight fewer than he saw in 2024 despite playing nine more games this season.
For the Chiefs, there simply is zero reason to have interest in bringing back a depth piece that can't impact the offense or special teams. Remigio's time with the Chiefs is over, and time will tell if he can thrive with another franchise.
3. Gardner Minshew, QB
Gardner Minshew is slated to become a free agent after suffering a knee injury that caused the signal caller to miss the rest of the 2025 season, a week after the Chiefs lost Mahomes. There is really no frustration or ill-will with Minshew; this simply boils down to the fact that K.C. is going to have far more compelling options than a player coming off a season-ending injury. Sitting behind Mahomes still remains an attractive destination for quarterbacks looking to rebuild value or have a chance to compete for a Super Bowl.
Added to this is the fact that Chris Oladokun has shown that he's still not ready to be the QB2, which further proves why Kansas City needs to add a more experienced arm. This encourages the Chiefs to either look at an aging veteran like Joe Flacco, who offers a predictable level of performance, or perhaps bring in a rookie to develop behind Mahomes as a long-term option if they're ready to turn the page on Oladokun.
No matter what road the Chiefs opt to go down, it is clear that Minshew isn't included in these plans.