What will Chiefs target in free agency? Here’s what GM Veach said before Super Bowl
Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach can’t predict the future — and he also knows just how often things don’t go as he might expect.
That’s why he’s fascinated to see what happens for the team over the next few months in free agency.
“It’ll be an interesting offseason,” Veach said before KC’s 40-22 loss in Super Bowl LIX. “They’re always interesting.”
This one perhaps more so, given the Chiefs’ final result in New Orleans.
KC’s offensive line was dominated by the Philadelphia Eagles in last weekend’s blowout loss. At the worst moment, the Chiefs’ makeshift plan to move left guard Joe Thuney to left tackle while inserting backup Mike Caliendo into the starting lineup came apart.
So perhaps left tackle will be a greater priority now than when Veach spoke on Feb. 6 at the New Orleans Marriott — the Chiefs’ team hotel — three days before the Super Bowl.
However, Veach already knew he had a challenging task ahead at that time, given the Chiefs’ financial situation.
“For the most part, we’re gonna be heavy in the draft and be selective in free agency,” Veach said. “But if we ever do something like, ‘Whoa, that was a big swing,’ I think it would be to retain our own players.”
Before discussing the Chiefs’ offseason plan in greater depth, let’s set the stage for where they are now.
A rarity for an NFL team
To put it bluntly, the Chiefs don’t have much wiggle room. Veach has been content to pay the team’s star players, with top-of-the-market extensions previously signed at quarterback (Patrick Mahomes), tight end (Travis Kelce), defensive tackle (Chris Jones) and center (Creed Humphrey).
A recent analysis of NFL money spent, shared on the X social media-platform, reinforces that the Chiefs are in a different place than any other organization. Just before last season, they committed 34.9% of their salary-cap dollars to superstar-type players making between $23.8 million and $55.1 million, the highest split in the league.
That won’t be going away in 2025, either. According to OverTheCap, Mahomes, Jones, and offensive linemen Thuney and Jawaan Taylor each have cap numbers exceeding $25 million next season.
Veach admits that realities like these make it “impossible“ for the Chiefs to retain as many of their own free agents as they would like. Four of the top KC players hitting free agency are right guard Trey Smith, linebacker Nick Bolton, safety Justin Reid and defensive tackle Turk Wharton.
“Obviously, there’s no way you’re getting all the guys back,” Veach said. “You’re hoping just to get one, best-case scenario, two guys back.”
Who’s atop the Chiefs’ wish list?
Like he does every offseason, Veach will start with a list of top priorities and work his way down as players sign with the Chiefs or elsewhere.
As of last week, Veach made clear the team’s primary goal: re-signing Smith.
It won’t be easy. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported last month that several NFL teams have Smith listed as the No. 1 free agent available this offseason. Whoever signs Smith — the Chiefs’ sixth-round pick in the 2021 Draft — is likely looking at a long-term deal. Pro Football Focus (PFF), for instance, projects a four-year, $82 million contract for Smith, with $50 million guaranteed.
Veach admitted the Chiefs would have to get “really creative” in structuring Smith’s contract to have a shot at signing and retaining him. This would likely be the Chiefs’ only splash in free agency, if it occurred.
Smith’s return can’t be completely ruled out, though. He seems comfortable in KC while playing beside a longtime friend in Humphrey.
The Chiefs have also had times in the past — like when they re-signed defensive end Mike Danna last season — when a player has waited on KC to free up money and potentially even taken less for an opportunity to stay in a familiar situation.
Veach said the Chiefs vowed to “throw the kitchen sink” at their top free agents, like Smith and Bolton, while already knowing their value.
“They’ve given so much to the organization that you’re not going to fault a guy if he gets 20 more million dollars somewhere else over the course of three or four years. He absolutely deserves it,” Veach said.
“But we’re certainly going to try to put our best foot forward and do what we can to retain those guys.”
Others the Chiefs want back
Bolton appears to be next on the wish list for KC and Veach.
A second-round pick of the Chiefs in 2021 out of Missouri, Bolton is a favorite of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and rates 34th in PFF’s free-agent rankings with a four-year, $60 million contract projection (with $40 million guaranteed).
The safety Reid could be a candidate to return as well. According to PFF, he’s the 50th-best player available, and his projection is for three years and $46.5 million, with $25 million guaranteed.
Bolton and Reid have both expressed recently that they would like to stay with the Chiefs.
KC also will likely need to address depth at defensive line and receiver through free agency and the draft. This year’s NFL Draft is considered deep at D-line, so the Chiefs will have some options with their early-round picks. Wharton, after a strong Super Bowl, could be among the first free-agent options for a reunion with KC.
At wideout, Hollywood Brown should be the team’s signing priority following an injury-plagued season. Brown, who will turn 28 in June, developed exceptional chemistry with Mahomes in training camp before a preseason shoulder injury kept him out most of the year.
Chiefs director of player personnel/pro scouting Tim Terry said it was “always a challenge” for the Chiefs to retain their talented players. But he also believes KC benefited in these spots from having a successful team.
“It has to be a win-win,” Terry said of the Chiefs’ free-agent deals. “Obviously we may not be able to pay X amount of dollars market value for guys, but at the same token, the trade-off is coming here. We’re going to be, hopefully, in contention every year. So it’s a win-win, ultimately. And most times, it comes to a good consensus.”
NFL free agency officially opens March 12.
And Veach is honest when he says he’s interested in seeing how it all turns out.
“We’ll wait and see where the (salary) cap goes,” he said. “And we’re always going to try to get creative.”
This story was originally published February 14, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "What will Chiefs target in free agency? Here’s what GM Veach said before Super Bowl."
