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Which Chiefs players are free agents after this season? Roster, depth chart breakdown
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- Which Chiefs players are free agents after this season? Roster, depth chart breakdown
The Kansas City Chiefs are in the Super Bowl for the third consecutive season. Win or lose, they will be looking to make it four straight during the 2025 NFL season and playoffs.
That will require the Chiefs to retool their roster, as they have plenty of impactful players set to hit free agency.
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Notably, the Chiefs are set to see most of their receivers and defensive tackles hit the open market. Star right guard Trey Smith also figures to be one of the best players available in free agency , so they will face plenty of competition for his services.
Here's what to know about the Chiefs' free agents and their potential needs entering the 2025 offseason.
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Chiefs free agents for 2025
The Chiefs are set to have 28 total players hit free agency. Twenty of those players will be unrestricted free agents, meaning they will be able to test the market if Kansas City doesn't extend them or use either the transition or franchise tag to keep them on the roster.
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The eight others will be restricted free agents (RFA) or exclusive rights free agents (ERFA), meaning the Chiefs will have the right of first refusal for their services.
Below is a full list of the Chiefs' free agents, per Spotrac.com . Players are unrestricted free agents unless otherwise noted.
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P Matt Araiza (ERFA)
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LB Nick Bolton
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G Mike Caliendo (ERFA)
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LB Jack Cochrane (RFA)
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TE Jody Fortson
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TE Peyton Hendershot (RFA)
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DE Malik Herring (RFA)
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RB Kareem Hunt
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CB Nazeeh Johnson (RFA)
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DT Mike Pennel
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K Spencer Shrader (ERFA)
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CB Keith Taylor (RFA)
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OLB Joshua Uche
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QB Carson Wentz
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LS James Winchester
Chiefs depth chart, roster breakdown for 2025
The Chiefs' 2025 depth chart may look at lot different than its 2024 chart, pending the results of free agency.
In particular, the Chiefs have a lot of potential turnover at receiver and defensive tackle. They have just four receivers under contract beyond the Super Bowl while Chris Jones is the lone man in their defensive tackle room to be signed beyond the 2024 NFL season.
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Below is a look at what Kansas City is guaranteed to have on its man roster during the 2025 offseason as well as the key free agents the team could lose at each position.
Chiefs QB depth chart
Key free agent: Carson Wentz
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Chiefs RB depth chart
Key free agents: Kareem Hunt , Samaje Perine
Chiefs WR depth chart
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Rashee Rice (currently on IR)
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Skyy Moore (currently on IR)
Key free agents: DeAndre Hopkins , Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster , Justin Watson, Mecole Hardman
Chiefs TE depth chart
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Jared Wiley (currently on IR)
Key free agents: Peyton Hendershot, Jody Fortson
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Chiefs OT depth chart
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Joe Thuney (LT)
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Jawaan Taylor (RT)
Key free agent: D.J. Humphries
Chiefs interior OL depth chart
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Creed Humphrey (C)
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McKade Mettauer (currently on IR)
Key free agents: Mike Caliendo (LG), Trey Smith (RG)
Chiefs DE depth chart
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B.J. Thompson (currently on NFI list)
Key free agents: Charles Omenihu, Malik Herring, Josh Uche
Chiefs DT depth chart
Key free agents: Tershawn Wharton, Mike Pennel, Derrick Nnadi, Marlon Tuipulotu
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Chiefs LB depth chart
Key free agents: Nick Bolton , Jack Cochrane
Chiefs CB depth chart
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Chris Roland-Wallace
Key free agents: Nazeeh Johnson, Keith Taylor
Chiefs S depth chart
Key free agents: Justin Reid
Chiefs ST depth chart
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Kicker: Harrison Butker
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Return man: Nikko Remigio
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Key free agents: Matt Araiza (punter), James Winchester (long snapper), Spencer Shrader (kicker)
Chiefs practice squad
It's also worth noting that Kansas City's practice squad players will no longer be tied to the roster a week after the team's season finishes. The Chiefs can re-sign those players to reserve/future contracts that allow them to join the team's 90-man roster at the start of the new league year, but they are not guaranteed to return to Kansas City until those deals are signed.
Below is a look at the 17 players the Chiefs currently have on their practice squad ahead of Super Bowl 59.
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LB Swayze Bozeman
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OT Chukwuebuka Godrick
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CB Nic Jones
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DT Siaki Ika
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RB Keontay Ingram
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DT Fabien Lovett Sr.
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WR Justyn Ross
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CB Darius Rush
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CB Eric Scott Jr.
The Chiefs also have tight end Baylor Cupp on their practice squad injured reserve list.
Chiefs biggest offseason needs
What might be the Chiefs' biggest offseason needs? Below is a breakdown of what the team will need to prioritize during the NFL offseason based on their current depth chart.
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Left tackle: The Chiefs kicked left guard Joe Thuney out to tackle to plug in the leaky spot on their offensive line but will need a longer-term solution there. Veteran stopgap D.J. Humphries is set to be a free agent, so perhaps Kansas City will try to re-sign him or kick the tires on another veteran blocker.
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Offensive guard: If the Chiefs decide to leave Thuney at tackle, they may need help at guard. Both Mike Caliendo and star guard Trey Smith are set to be free agents. The former seems likely to return, but a replacement for Smith may be needed.
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Defensive tackle: Chris Jones is the only Chiefs defensive tackle under contract beyond the 2024 NFL season. Kansas City should try to re-sign some of its outgoing depth – Tershawn Wharton , Mike Pennel and Derrick Nnadi – but may have to look elsewhere if they can't return all of those veterans.
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Wide receiver: Xavier Worthy has gotten better as the season has gone on while Rashee Rice is poised to return in 2025, which should give the Chiefs a solid one-two punch at receiver. However, the team is set to have five veteran wide-outs hit free agency. Kansas City needs to bring back some of them to avoid being paper thin at wide-out.
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Running back: Both Kareem Hunt and Samaje Perine are free agents. The Chiefs will need to add depth behind Isiah Pacheco if one or both leaves the team.
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Punter: Matt Araiza is an exclusive rights free agent, so the Chiefs can bring him back if they so desire. He was just about league average with a mark of 41.5 yards per punt, so the Chiefs may be comfortable enough to bring him back on another one-year deal.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chiefs free agents 2025: Trey Smith, Nick Bolton highlight full list
