Pro Football Rumors
The Chiefs entered last season riding streaks of nine consecutive AFC West titles and three straight trips to the Super Bowl. There was no reason to expect the long-dominant franchise to fall off a cliff in 2025, but that’s exactly what happened during a 6-11 campaign. It was the first time Kansas City finished below .500 in head coach Andy Reid‘s brilliant 13-year tenure. It was also the first time the team won fewer than 10 games in a season since 2014, quarterback Patrick Mahomes‘ freshman year at Texas Tech.
The Chiefs dropped to 6-8 and officially fell out of playoff contention in a Week 15 loss to the division-rival Chargers. Adding injury to insult, Mahomes tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee late in the game. It ended the all-time great’s season early, but the bigger concern was whether it would sideline Mahomes for any portion of 2026. Fortunately for the Chiefs, it appears they dodged that bullet. There is optimism the durable 10th-year signal-caller will be ready to participate in team drills when training camp starts later this month.
Assuming Mahomes – not new backup Justin Fields – is at the helm when the Chiefs’ season opens against the reigning division champion Broncos on Sept. 14, he will lead a similar cast of offensive characters. Longtime wingman Travis Kelce is back for a 13th year. Nearing his 37th birthday in October, Kelce is no longer at the height of his powers on the field. But the future Hall of Fame tight end remained among the game’s most productive players at his position last year. Kelce placed fourth among TEs in yards (851), sixth in catches (76) and 13th in touchdowns (five).
Age isn’t on his side, yet Kelce may still be the most reliable pass catcher on a team that didn’t make any obvious upgrades at receiver in the offseason. Complementary wideouts Marquise Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster signed elsewhere, though the Chiefs did retain Tyquan Thornton on a two-year, $11MM accord. Thornton, rookie fifth-rounder Cyrus Allen and second-year man Jalen Royals will work behind Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy, who will aim for healthier seasons. That assumes Rice will avoid a suspension for violating his probation, an offense that forced him to spend 30 days in jail late in the spring.
After missing three games with a concussion in 2025, Rice underwent cleanup surgery on his right knee in May. Owing to multiple injuries and a suspension, Rice missed 22 of the Chiefs’ 34 games from 2024-25. Meanwhile, Worthy never really got on track last season after tearing the labrum in his right shoulder in a Week 1 loss to the Chargers. The 5-foot-11, 165-pounder finished his second year with a disappointing 42 catches, 532 yards and a touchdown in 14 games.
Two years after the Chiefs traded up to snag him in the first round of the 2024 draft, Worthy is going into a pivotal season. Without a noticeable hike in production, the Chiefs...
