4 Chiefs Playing Their Last Game With the Team in Super Bowl

The Chiefs are set to take on the 49ers in the Super Bowl on Sunday, sitting as underdogs in the contest despite featuring the best quarterback and best defense in the sport.

I'm confident in Kansas City to earn another Lombardi Trophy, though nonetheless, Brett Veach has a number of big decisions to make this offseason. With so many talented players on the roster and ballooning cap hits for certain players, it's impossible for every player to return.

Given the reality of the salary cap and Veach's impressive run in the NFL Draft, let's look at four Chiefs that are playing their final game with the organization on Sunday.

4 Chiefs Playing Their Last Game With the Team in Super Bowl

1. Chris Jones - DT

For the entire year, I've operated under the assumption that Jones and the Chiefs will part ways after this season. Jones is the team's best defensive player of the generation, but that unfortunately means he's earned a payday north of $30 million per year that Kansas City simply can't afford.

It makes more sense, in my opinion, to use that money to keep L'Jarius Sneed and played like Creed Humphrey, Drue Tranquill, Trey Smith and others. This is a painful possibility, of course, though it's likely a necessary reality that we're about to watch Jones in red for the last time.

Jones is a game-wrecking machine with a whopping 26 sacks over the last two seasons. He's a true leader as well, often serving as the heart and soul of the locker room.

That being said, he's turning 30 in July and the Chiefs' new timeline feels centered around the younger stars they've recently added to the roster. It's going to hurt, but make sure you enjoy Jones' final game with Kansas City.

Before the next player, take a moment to claim FanDuel Sportsbook's $200 bonus if Kansas City wins! Deposit at least $10 and bet $5 or more on Kansas City to beat San Francisco and you'll get $200 in bonus bets if it happens. There's no bigger odds boost for the big game - sign up for FanDuel now!

2. Marquez Valdes-Scantling - WR

Valdes-Scantling is enjoying a wonderful redemption tour, making the game-sealing catch against the Ravens and coming up with multiple clutch grabs in the Buffalo win. It's been beautiful to see after he spent the season under fire from virtually everywhere, and he's now come up big in two deep postseason runs with the Chiefs.

But this is almost certainly his final game with the organization. His cap hit next season is just under $14 million, the sixth-highest on the team, and there's no way Brett Veach can justify that number given his production.

On the year, Valdes-Scantling finished with 21 catches for 315 yards and one TD with several notable drops in key moments. He's caught those passes in the playoffs, with 102 receiving yards in his last two games, but that's simply not enough for a player with a cap hit that large.

We'll always have the positive playoff memories, though, as well as perhaps the best tweet of the entire season right after the AFC Championship game.

There's certainly a spot in the NFL for an experienced deep threat like Valdes-Scantling and he'll land on a roster somewhere. However, I anticipate the Chiefs will overhaul the wide receiver room and that'll leave Valdes-Scantling on the outside looking in.

He's not the only wide receiver playing his final game in red, though.

3. Mecole Hardman - WR

Brett Veach let Hardman walk last offseason before bringing him back in a mid-season trade, but nothing Hardman has done truly indicates the Chiefs should prioritize keeping him.

He notably didn't even try to catch a pair of deep passes from Patrick Mahomes in recent weeks and narrowly avoided disaster when he fumbled through the end zone against the Bills. To make matters worse, that was his second fumble in as many touches that game.

Hardman had only one snap in the AFC Championship game, likely indicating the Chiefs have decided to move on.

Now, Travis Kelce did take the blame for Hardman's fumble in the Divisional Round, but Hardman has seen limited playing time anyway. If you remove his strong Week 18 performance in which the Chiefs were resting starters, he had just nine catches for 47 yards on the entire season.

Hardman is still a dynamic kick returner and one of the fastest players in the league, but it seems obvious this relationship has run its course.

I'll fondly remember Hardman and the energy he brought to the sidelines, though it makes too much sense to move on for the Chiefs to keep him. After receiving limited interest in free agency last year, he'll likely need to sign a one-year deal somewhere to prove he belongs in the league much longer.

This last player is also much-maligned, though he's surged in recent weeks to ensure he'll be on someone's roster next year.

4. Clyde Edwards-Helaire - RB

Whew, it's been nice to see the former first-round pick show some juice in spelling Isiah Pacheco over this last month or so. He had 52 rushing yards in the first two playoff games and closed the season particularly strong and I expect he's earned a place in the league with this stretch.

Notably, Edwards-Helaire's biggest contributions over the regular season's final month came in the passing game. He averaged over 14 yards per catch in three straight games and made a sensational leaping TD catch against the Patriots.

That's a guy that belongs in the league. The first four years of Edwards-Helaire's career didn't quite go as planned when he became Brett Veach's first draft pick, but he can hang his head high knowing he was an important part of this team when it mattered.

He ended the year with 223 rushing yards and 188 receiving yards, earning a role as a backup in the NFL.

It wouldn't stun me at this point if he came back to the Chiefs on a one-year, though I'm not expecting it at this point. With just one more guaranteed game left in red, I'm hoping he comes up with at least one more great run or catch.

More Kansas City Chiefs News: