5 Chiefs Leaving Kansas City in the New Year

The Chiefs have gone through a lot of changes this season and more are on the way as we approach the postseason.

Brett Veach has a huge task ahead of him this offseason, needing to bolster the roster while simultaneously starting contract negotiations for critical pieces. This team will not look the same in 2024 that it does now.

With that in mind, let's take a look at five Chiefs leaving Kansas City in the new year. Enjoy these players while you can, Chiefs Kingdom!

5 Chiefs Leaving Kansas City in 2024

1. Chris Jones - DT

Let's start with a heartbreaking one, shall we? The more time that passes, the more obvious it feels to me that this is Chris Jones' final year in Kansas City.

The writing has been on the wall all year. After a contentious holdout that resulted in a one-year deal, we've kind of all just ignored the elephant in the room. Jones sure sounds like a man who knows he'll be elsewhere in 2024, so we're likely entering the final games of an illustrious Chiefs career.

Jones is still his dominant self, compiling 9.5 sacks this year with a number of game-changing plays while helping his teammates by commanding double teams. Ironically, Jones' excellent season only reinforces the idea that he'll be too rich for Brett Veach's blood.

George Karlaftis is enjoying a breakout season, at least partially thanks to Jones' presence, though his stellar play only makes Jones expendable.

It just makes too much sense for Veach to use the money that would be committed to Jones to keep L'Jarius Sneed and players like Nick Bolton, Willie Gay Jr., Mike Danna, Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith, instead.

The Chiefs can't keep all of those guys, but they can keep more of them without Jones than with him. That'll be the deciding factor in my eyes, resetting the timeline around the younger players' windows.

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2. Marquez Valdes-Scantling - WR

This is probably the most obvious one on the board. Valdes-Scantling has been an abject disaster this season despite holding the sixth-highest cap hit on the team and everyone can see this jumbled marriage is coming to an end.

Through 17 games, Valdes-Scantling has 21 catches on 42 targets for 315 yards and one TD. Given the Chiefs seem likely to rest starters in Week 18, Valdes-Scantling likely won't have much opportunity to add to those numbers.

This drop really felt like the last straw. Mahomes tried to go back to the deep threat shortly after, but Valdes-Scantling, and stop me if you've heard this before, couldn't make the catch.

I don't know what's gone wrong for Valdes-Scantling this year. He was a hero in the AFC Championship game and was a reliable pass-catcher throughout his career. Something is amiss, and he'll have to figure out what went wrong on new roster in 2024.

3. Clyde Edwards-Helaire - RB

Clyde had his moment in the sun, filling in admirably for an injured Isiah Pacheco with one of the best TD catches of the year in Week 15 against the Patriots.

The much-maligned former first-round draft pick hasn't worked out in Kansas City, but he's proven over the last month that he still has value as a depth piece at running back. His rushing numbers are underwhelming, but Edwards-Helaire is averaging 11.2 yards per catch out of the backfield.

It'd be surprising if the Chiefs brought Edwards-Helaire back, yet it's not the unfathomable idea it once was. All things considered, I expect him to find a new home after this season and am grateful he's gotten the opportunity to prove he belongs.

With Jerick McKinnon on Injured Reserve, Edwards-Helaire will continue to get touches over the next few weeks.

He could play a pivotal role in the playoffs, which would be quite a storybook way for his Chiefs tenure to close. Edwards-Helaire already has one Super Bowl - he just might leave Kansas City with two.

4. Donovan Smith - LT

Smith missed the last few weeks due to injury, allowing rookie tackle Wayna Morris to prove he can hang with the starters. Considering the Chiefs spent a third-round pick on Morris and Smith is on just a one-year deal, the writing is on the wall that this is Smith's job next season.

Even when he was starting, Smith was a disappointment. He was never meant to be a long-term option, merely a stop-gap while Morris developed. Now that Smith is out of the lineup, it's difficult to imagine him in Kansas City in 2024.

Even still, Morris struggled against Cincinnati and we'll see what comes of the playoffs. It's possible Morris isn't quite ready and the Chiefs bring Smith back on a one-year deal, but I'd wager the organization looks elsewhere to short up the offensive line depth.

Veach will soon have to start negotiations for Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith on top of a potential Joe Thuney extension. That's a lot of holes to fill and Smith seems like the odd man out.

This final Chief would be a huge blow to the defense, but similar to Chris Jones, this player might have priced himself out of Kansas City.

5. Mike Danna - DE

Danna has been nothing short of exceptional this season. Losing him would be, for lack of a better word, terrible. However, when you play like a great pass rusher during a contract year, you're going to get a payday commensurate with that performance.

We've seen analysts predict that Danna will leave Kansas City already and that potential reality looks more probable by the week.

Spotrac's current projections have Danna getting a three-year deal worth over $18 million per year. If he gets anywhere close to that figure, he'll be wearing a different uniform in 2024.

On the season, Danna has 50 tackles with 6.5 sacks. He's cooled off a bit since a torrid start to the campaign but is a stout run-stuffer and makes big plays in critical moments.

Not too shabby for a fifth-round draft pick. Danna has earned this payday. Unfortunately, I don't think it's coming from this organization.

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