The vibes surrounding the Kansas City Chiefs are immaculate after Sunday's hard-fought comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12. The Chiefs should feel a lot more confident in their end-of-season outlook moving forward, meaning everyone must do their part to ensure that the team remains in the Super Bowl conversation.
With that in mind, head coach Andy Reid's staff has no room for non-contributors at this point in the campaign. It's all about who can help bring another Lombardi Trophy to Kansas City, meaning the Chiefs won't hesitate to trim any potential fat, which is exactly what happened on Monday.
About 24 hours after beating the Colts, the Chiefs announced that they have released wide receiver Jimmy Holiday from the practice squad to make room for newly-signed running back Dameon Pierce. With how deep the team's WR room is compared to the uncertain state of the backfield, Holiday's termination is far from a surprise.
Chiefs Keep Treating Jimmy Holiday Like a Yo-Yo
There's something ironic about Holiday being released before Thanksgiving, but Monday's termination is far from a new experience for him. The 23-year-old playmaker has been dumped by the Chiefs three times since joining the franchise as an undrafted rookie out of Louisiana Tech in May — including once already this month:
- Aug. 27: Released in the first phase of preseason roster cuts
- Nov. 4: Released from the practice squad for the first time
- Nov. 24: Released from practice squad for the second time
It'll be interesting to see if the Chiefs opt to re-sign Holiday when another practice squad spot opens up. At the same time, is there really a point to a fourth signing? If Kansas City doesn't see anything worth developing in him by this point, chances are that Reid & Co. never will.
The Chiefs can't be blamed for initially rolling the dice on Holiday. Rashee Rice was facing a six-game suspension to begin the 2025 season, while none of Kansas City's other WR options appeared to be surefire things. Signing Holiday was a low-risk, potentially high-reward idea. Fast forward to now, when the Chiefs have a solid and deep receiving situation, where they don't need to roll the dice on unknowns, hoping they'll find immediate chemistry with quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Now, it'll be up to Holiday to find an opportunity to make an NFL roster elsewhere. The 6-foot-1, 211-pounder showed off his solid speed during the preseason, hauling in three catches on four targets for 60 receiving yards and a first down, with a good chunk of that production coming on a 50-yard bomb in the exhibition finale. Surely, a WR-needy team will be desperate enough to give him a shot, especially since he's only 24 years old.
Even if the Chiefs are tempted to run things back again, they shouldn't. Their WR room is more than filled with enough talent for the season's final stretch. Instead, Kansas City should forget about Holiday and let him find his own path to a 53-man roster with a team that's more interested in using him.