Arrowhead Pride
The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t played many meaningful Week 18 games since quarterback Patrick Mahomes came to town. The final week of the regular season has generally been reserved for young players trying to leave an impression, with the extra week of rest carrying more value than another win on the ledger.
That familiar Week 18 script still applies this season — but for very different reasons. In Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, the only stakes of real significance are draft-related. The (2-14) Raiders are the current favorite to pick first overall, while the Chiefs could land anywhere from eighth to 12th in April’s draft.
So in this game, individual performances move to the forefront. Plenty of time has been spent debating which young players should (and shouldn’t) be getting snaps down the stretch. I’m not particularly interested in rehashing that argument; I’ll defer to head coach Andy Reid and his staff on whether, say, a fourth-round pick has earned playing time in his rookie season.
Which players have the most to gain (or lose) in Week 18? It’s time to find out.
The former Duke star has more to lose than he has to gain. This hasn’t been a season to remember for the former fifth-round pick: he has caught just 56% of his targets — and his 31% success rate is league’s second-worst among pass catchers with at least 30 targets.
Ouch.
The timing couldn’t be much worse. If Travis Kelce retires, that would open the team’s starting tight end role for the first time in more than a decade. With a strong year as Kelce’s backup, Gray could have positioned himself to inherit the job. But instead, his disappointing play — combined with the team’s 2026 cap reality — makes it hard to picture him returning on his current deal.
Gray will carry $7 million against the Chiefs’ 2026 salary cap. Per Spotrac, the team could save either $4 million or $5.5 million by releasing Gray, depending on whether he would be designated as a post-June 1 release. That’s not insignificant for a team that is projected to be more than $40 million over the projected 2026 cap.
Gray has played about 50% of Kansas City’s offensive snaps this season. His production simply hasn’t matched the cost. A bounce-back showing on Sunday might be too little, too late — but it would still beat the alternative.
Watson is slated to hit free agency this offseason, while Williams is coming off his rookie season. If the Chiefs decide to reset their books the way general manager Brett Veach did after the 2021 season — when he cashed in wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s value for a handful of draft picks — fellow cornerback Trent McDuffie looks like a prime trade candidate. But for that to be a viable option, Watson and Williams will have to step up.
Williams has been very impressive on the field....
