Arrowhead Pride
Business of Football: End of Chiefs’ Run Is How the NFL Works | SI
And from a business point of view, the future does not look bright. Mahomes carries a $78.2 million cap charge for next year, one that will obviously be restructured to push a large chunk of those cap charges into the future. They have the second-worst cap table in the league next year, better than only the Cowboys, and Travis Kelce’s future is uncertain. This could be the end of an era.
Having been around the NFL for decades, I was constantly reminded of the one overriding feature that the league prides itself on: competitive balance. It is baked into the system with the salary cap, draft, free agency restraints and equal revenue sharing, creating an atmosphere where bad teams can improve faster and good teams have a hard time staying good. While we didn’t make a Super Bowl in my decade in Green Bay, we won our division four times, which I am very proud to be a part of. I know how hard that sustained success was then, and is now; thus my continued admiration and fandom for the Packers. But at some point circumstances, fortune and the pull of competitive balance overtake teams. That happened to the Chiefs this year.
Chiefs DE George Karlaftis discusses practice without Patrick Mahomes | Chiefs Wire
Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman George Karlaftis spoke with reporters on Wednesday, commenting on practice without quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“Yeah, absolutely, he’s (Patrick Mahomes) one of the things that makes this thing go,” said Karlaftis. “Definitely different without him being here, just like with any other position, it’s next man up, and I know Gardner’s (Minshew) going to do a great job. But yeah, it’s for sure different. I got here today, (and) it was the first time since I’ve been here that I haven’t seen him or his car here. It was different.”
The Chiefs will likely be using players from the practice squad or those with limited experience as they play out the rest of the 2025 schedule. Karlaftis described what he’s seen from the younger guys this season.
Chiefs’ breakthrough draft class faces emotional end: ‘I would love to stay here’ | The Athletic
He’s part of a heralded group — the Chiefs’ draft class of 2022 — that is likely to split apart this offseason while facing free agency for the first time.
“Those are my brothers for life,” Watson told The Athletic on Wednesday. “We’ve been through so much — just blood, sweat and tears and hard work together. It’s gonna be tough, everyone going in their different paths. But I enjoyed the time we had together.”
Watson, a seventh-round pick, is one of many pending free agents who remain on the Chiefs’ roster as part of a draft class that reshaped it. Others include second-round safety Bryan Cook, third-round...
