The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t waste any time replacing starting safety Bryan Cook, who signed a three-year, $40.25 million contract, which includes $14 million guaranteed, with the Cincinnati Bengals when the legal tampering window opened on Monday.
The Chiefs decided to sign former Los Angeles Chargers safety Alohi Gilman to a three-year, $24.75 million deal, including $15 million guaranteed, on Tuesday. Gilman is two years older than Cook, but the Chiefs have had a chance to see him several times over the years since he's spent most of his career in the AFC West.
Gilman took a small detour out of the division as the Chargers traded him to the Baltimore Ravens during the regular season. However, the veteran safety is back in the AFC West, this time wearing the right colors, and is already looking to get to work, and that is enough to bring excitement to the fanbase.
Alohi Gilman Already Making Good Impression in 1st Day with Chiefs
When speaking to reporters on Thursday, Gilman mentioned that Chiefs starting linebacker Drue Tranquil played a role in recruiting him to KC, acting as his “third agent,” per Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports.
Gilman and Tranquil played college football together at Notre Dame, so seeing these two reunited in the NFL should only help ease his transition to Kansas City. The newest Chiefs safety also took some time to shout out Kansas City DBs coach Dave Merritt, which should only help the close working relationship the two will have over the next three years.
“He's put out a couple of decades of some ballers... Just connecting with him and seeing how I can push my game to the highest level,” Gilman said, via Goldman.
Perhaps most importantly, when speaking of the Chiefs' secondary, which is in a state of flux with Cook gone, and Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson landing in Los Angeles, Gilman said he’ll play anywhere he is needed. This willingness to put the team first shows how much of a fit he already is for this franchise, and that could be valuable since roles are not necessarily set in stone yet.
“I've been in a bunch of different systems... I feel comfortable playing every position... If you want me to hold the tee, I'll hold the tee,” Gilman said, via Goldman.
Thankfully, Kansas City won’t need Gilman to hold the tee on kickoffs, as they got that covered. Instead, the Chiefs' defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, will be looking for the ex-Chargers defensive back to be a playmaker and make their pass defense even better in 2026.
Last season, Kansas City ranked 12th in passing yards allowed per game (195.8), but 27th in takeaways (14). Gilman should be able to help Kansas City in that department, as he has five interceptions, five forced fumbles, and six fumble recoveries in his career.
Nonetheless, it’s still early in the offseason, but Gilman is already making a great impression with the Chiefs and the fanbase, which is a good sign of hopefully things to come.