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\u2019s exactly what happened during a 6-11 campaign. It was the primary time Kansas City finished below .500 in head coach Andy Reid<\/strong>\u2018s sensible 13-year tenure. It was also the primary time the team won fewer than 10 games in a season since 2014, quarterback Patrick Mahomes\u2018<\/strong> freshman yr at Texas Tech.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 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 sport. It ended the all-time great\u2019s season early, but the larger concern was whether it will sideline Mahomes for any portion of 2026. Fortunately for the Chiefs, it appears they dodged that bullet. There’s optimism the durable Tenth-year signal-caller will likely be able to take part in team drills when training camp starts later this month.<\/p>\n Assuming Mahomes \u2013 not recent backup Justin Fields<\/strong> \u2013 is on the helm when the Chiefs\u2019 season opens against the reigning division champion Broncos on Sept. 14, he’ll lead the same solid of offensive characters. Longtime wingman Travis Kelce<\/strong> is back for a thirteenth yr. Nearing his thirty seventh birthday in October, Kelce isn’t any longer at the peak of his powers on the sphere. But the longer term Hall of Fame tight end remained among the many game\u2019s best players at his position last yr. Kelce placed fourth amongst TEs in yards (851), sixth in catches (76) and thirteenth in touchdowns (five).<\/p>\n Age isn\u2019t on his side, yet Kelce should be essentially the most reliable pass catcher on a team that didn\u2019t make any obvious upgrades at receiver within the offseason. Complementary wideouts Marquise Brown<\/strong> and JuJu Smith-Schuster<\/strong> signed elsewhere, though the Chiefs did retain Tyquan Thornton<\/strong> on a two-year, $11MM accord. Thornton, rookie fifth-rounder Cyrus Allen<\/strong> and second-year man Jalen Royals<\/strong> will work behind Rashee Rice<\/strong> and Xavier Worthy<\/strong>, 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 within the spring.<\/p>\n 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\u2019 34 games from 2024-25. Meanwhile, Worthy never really got on the right 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 yr with a disappointing 42 catches, 532 yards and a touchdown in 14 games.<\/p>\n Two years after the Chiefs traded as much as snag him in the primary round of the 2024 draft, Worthy goes right into a pivotal season. With no noticeable hike in production, the Chiefs could have a tough time exercising his fifth-year option next spring. The financial stakes are also enormous for Rice, who will play out the ultimate yr of his rookie deal. Should he avoid further off-field incidents and put up starting-caliber numbers, which he has done when healthy, Rice will likely be a candidate for a large raise in 2027.<\/p>\n While the Chiefs did little to deal with their receiving corps within the offseason, they made a seismic change within the backfield. A couple of weeks after he earned Super Bowl LX MVP honors, running back Kenneth Walker<\/strong> left the Seahawks to affix the Chiefs on a three-year, $43.05MM deal. The four-year veteran and two-time 1,000-yard rusher should boost a ground game that ranked a lackluster twenty fifth in yards last season.<\/p>\n The Chiefs didn’t re-sign Kareem Hunt<\/strong> or Isiah Pacheco<\/strong> after each players averaged fewer than 4.0 yards per carry on a combined 281 attempts in 2025. Walker notched an efficient 4.6 per try on 221 carries. He owns a profession mark of 4.3 on 821 carries.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.profootballrumors.com\/files\/2026\/06\/USATSI_27828300-scaled.jpg\")
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