Chiefs Vet Demands Contract Extension With Strong Performance in Super Bowl Loss

The loss that the Kansas City Chiefs took in the Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles will sting for quite some time. Just one win away from becoming the first team to ever three-peat, the Chiefs instead wilted under pressure.

Not only was Andy Reid's game plan poor, but the players themselves failed to make an impact. Philadelphia was the much better squad on Sunday night and Kansas City has no one to blame but themselves.

While it's a sad day in Chiefs Kingdom, not everyone performed poorly in the big game. In fact, one pending free agent virtually demanded a contract extension with a great effort, standing out as one of the few bright spots on a terrible night.

Chiefs Must Re-Sign DT Tershawn Wharton After Super Bowl Performance

Defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton was graded as the fourth-best player in the game for either team at Pro Football Focus. He played 64% of the snaps, notching five tackles and a stuff. 2024 was the best year of his career by far as Wharton compiled 6.5 sacks. It's true that Wharton benefitted from playing alongside Chris Jones and George Karlaftis, though we just saw Mike Danna have a similar year in 2023 and get an extension for his efforts.

You can never have too many quality pass rushers. Charles Omenihu is a pending free agent as well, though he will likely command a heftier salary, so Wharton could be an under-the-radar target to get similar production at a fraction of the price.

There's no excuse for how the Chiefs played on Sunday. Small victories feel worthless right now, but Wharton's play suggested he should be kept moving forward. That's a positive, especially with difficult decisions coming up on numerous players, including Nick Bolton, Justin Reid, and Trey Smith.

Kansas City still has a strong foundation built to compete now and into the future. As Patrick Mahomes' contract number rises, the Chiefs will need to be smart about maximizing value elsewhere. Re-signing Wharton would help them do that and at only 26 years old, he's just about to enter his athletic prime.

With five years of experience in the system, Wharton is the kind of guy who deserves to stick around. Should he continue to develop, perhaps Wharton will help the Chiefs get back to this game next season and actually win it this time.

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