KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Well before they left the field at the Caesars Superdome, several Chiefs players shared season-ending hugs. Those hugs continued in the visitors’ locker room, too.
No longer the NFL’s champion, the Chiefs are entering a pivotal stage in their dynasty. Another offseason that has the potential to be seismic begins next week in Indianapolis at the NFL combine.
The leaders of the franchise — club owner Clark Hunt, coach Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach — will once again have to make difficult decisions to sustain the team’s success.
“When we go into an offseason, we’ll sit there and go through general thoughts,” Veach said of him and Reid. “He’ll always shoot me a text, ‘What do you think our three biggest needs are?’ Nine times out of 10, they are the same. My one, two and three could be his two, one and three.”
Here are five major tasks that need to be addressed before the Chiefs can start working toward a fourth consecutive Super Bowl appearance:
Fix the left tackle situation
The Chiefs must acquire a left tackle who can be a dependable starter for multiple years. One of the wildest statistics of the Chiefs’ dynasty is this: The Chiefs have started a different left tackle in each of their five Super Bowl appearances over the last six years.
Last season, the Chiefs used four players at the position — Kingsley Suamataia, Wanya Morris, D.J. Humphries and Joe Thuney, the All-Pro left guard. The player who has the most upside from that group is likely Humphries, the 10-year veteran who wants to re-sign with the Chiefs this offseason, perhaps on a one-year deal, to compete for the starting job. Suamataia could also start his second season as a guard instead of a tackle.
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If Veach and Reid want to pursue notable free agents, they don’t have a ton of options. Veterans such as Ronnie Stanley, Tyron Smith and Cam Robinson can be immediate starters. But those players are free agents for a reason. Stanley has dealt with multiple injuries, Smith is 34 years old and Robinson struggled at times last season after the Jacksonville Jaguars traded him to the Minnesota Vikings.
In the upcoming NFL Draft, the Chiefs, who have just six picks, likely would have to trade up in the first round and offer perhaps a future first- or second-round pick to select one of the top left tackle prospects.
Push to retain Trey Smith
Smith is expected to be the most coveted offensive lineman this year in free agency. The Chiefs are not expected to place the franchise tag or the transition tag on Smith, according to a league source.
Instead, the Chiefs should do their best to keep one of their best players by offering Smith a four- or five-year contract. Smith entered the league in 2021 alongside center Creed Humphrey and the two have become best friends. Last year the Chiefs signed Humphrey, the league’s best center, to a four-year contract that included guaranteed money in 2025 and 2026. Veach and Reid should offer Smith a similar contract, one that makes him one of the league’s highest-paid guards.
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Smith played 655 pass-blocking snaps and didn’t allow a sack last season. He has started 67 of 68 games. The Chiefs’ goal of trying to provide the best protection for Patrick Mahomes should include Smith staying in Kansas City.
“He’s as good as they get,” Veach said just days before Super Bowl LIX.
Can the Chiefs count on Isiah Pacheco to regain his explosiveness after breaking his leg in September? (Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images)
Find another dynamic running back
Kareem Hunt, an eight-year veteran who was signed off the couch in September, was the Chiefs’ best running back last season. In 2025, the Chiefs will need more production from their rushing attack. Mahomes accounted for 72.5 percent of the offense’s yards, the most of any quarterback in the league. That shouldn’t happen again.
Veach and Reid will have to decide if they want to re-sign Hunt or Samaje Perine, a seven-year veteran, for a specific role. The team will also hope that Isiah Pacheco, who missed most of the regular season because of a broken fibula in his right leg, regains the form he had during the 2023 season when he generated 1,179 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns. Pacheco is the projected starter in 2025, but the Chiefs should use one of their three Day 2 draft picks to select a prospect to bring more juice to the position.
Here are a few names to remember for the draft: Kaleb Johnson (Iowa), Omarion Hampton (North Carolina), Jordan James (Oregon), Quinshon Judkins (Ohio State) and Dylan Sampson (Tennessee).
Upgrade (again) at receiver
Here are the Chiefs’ receivers under contract for the 2025 season: Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Nikko Remigio, Tyquan Thornton, Justyn Ross and Skyy Moore.
The list should encourage the Chiefs to re-sign Marquise Brown to another one-year deal that includes incentives tied to his production. Brown has proved that his speed and connection with Mahomes in just five games is worthy of the team investing in him as another legitimate option, whether tight end Travis Kelce returns for next season or retires.
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Throughout last season, the Chiefs were able to design and scheme positive moments for veterans DeAndre Hopkins, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Justin Watson and Mecole Hardman. Veach and Reid should consider only re-signing one of those veterans, especially if Thornton, the former 2022 second-round pick, and Remigio can contribute.
For the draft, the Chiefs should also consider using one of their Day 2 picks on a receiver, perhaps a prospect who has good speed but offers bigger size than the 5-foot-11, 165-pound Worthy.
Sign Trent McDuffie to an extension
This is a no-brainer — and the Chiefs shouldn’t wait. McDuffie is the Chiefs’ second-best defender, behind only pass rusher Chris Jones. In the past two seasons, McDuffie has been an undeniable All-Pro cornerback, a defender who can cover from the slot and the perimeter.
The sooner the Chiefs sign McDuffie, the easier they can account for his salary-cap hits throughout the prime of his career. There’s a possibility that McDuffie will improve in the next two years. The Chiefs traded L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans last year because had McDuffie. Now, the Chiefs need to ensure McDuffie plays the first seven or eight seasons of his career in their uniform.
(Top photo: David Eulitt / Getty Images)
