3 Chiefs playing their last postseason in Kansas City who can go out champions

We've heard about it all year but now it's time for the Kansas City Chiefs to actually make their run in an attempt to three-peat as Super Bowl champions. After having the Wild Card Round off as the No. 1 seed in the AFC, though, they made their debut with a Divisional Round victory over the Houston Texans on Saturday afternoon.

As they make their run toward a Super Bowl, though, we know that several players are here for the long haul under Brett Veach's regime. Patrick Mahomes isn't going anywhere, neither are Chris Jones or Xavier Worthy, and several others. I'd also include Travis Kelce in that conversation. While retirement conversations about the tight end remain in play, I think he still comes back for one more run with this core in Kansas City.

Other players, however, might not be so lucky as to stick around with the Chiefs beyond this year. Specifically, it looks like these three players might not be back with Kansas City in 2025, making this their final playoff run with the Chiefs and the desire for another Super Bowl that much stronger.

3. Kareem Hunt returned to Kansas City but likely not for long

It was the easiest reunion to see coming possible whenever Kareem Hunt was signed off the street after not being signed in the offseason. When Isiah Pacheco went down and the Chiefs couldn't find anyone reliable in the run game already on the roster, they dialed up their former draft pick and he was seamlessly inserted into the fray. One could also argue that his efforts did wonders for keeping this offense competent amid that unit's struggles throughout the year overall.

Hunt even showed up in the Divisional Round win over the Texans, finishing as the Chiefs' leading rusher and coming up big with a number of timely first-down carries that kept the game trending in Kansas City's favor.

With Pacheco hopefully returning to full healthy next season and what I expect to be a nice shuffling of the running back room overall, though, does Hunt really fit into the equation? Yes, the familiarity could do him favors there but it's also not out of the realm of possibility that his work with the Chiefs earns him some interest around the league in free agency. If that's the case, I don't foresee Kansas City really wanting to compete in that type of market.

2. The Chiefs could finally get DeAndre Hopkins a Super Bowl but not re-sign him

Even if it hasn't always shown up in the box score since the Chiefs acquired him from the Tennessee Titans at the trade deadline, DeAndre Hopkins has had a major impact on the offense. He's demanded attention on the outside, which this team lacked after Rashee Rice went down, which in turn has further opened up the field for the likes of Xavier Worthy, Travis Kelce, Noah Gray and so on.

At the same time, Hopkins will be 33 years old at the start of next season while the Chiefs also have to be looking at other pending free agents like Hollywood Brown, Mecole Hardman and even JuJu Smith-Schuster (another candidate to be playing his final playoff run in Kansas City). Is it really viable to bring back Hopkins, especially considering that he wasn't notably productive once he arrived and that he will still likely have a market based on his name?

Frankly, I don't see Veach and the Chiefs biting at that. Maybe he could return if the market for Hopkins is tepid given that Rice might not return by Week 1 after his season-ending knee injury. However, if there is any realistic type of market for the veteran, he'll be playing elsewhere in the 2025 campaign.

1. Trey Smith could 3-peat with the Chiefs but will likely be too expensive

There's no denying the importance of Trey Smith to the integrity of the Chiefs offensive line. We've seen this team's struggles at the tackle spots all year long but Smith, Joe Thuney (before he kicked out to tackle, as fate would have it) and Creed Humphrey have kept the interior stable, which has been vital to the team's success.

As Smith is set to finish out his rookie contract and hit free agency this offseason, though, the fact of the matter is that there will be few teams who aren't interested in signing him. He's been one of the best guards in the NFL since entering the league as a Day 3 steal for Kansas City. And while the Chiefs would certainly be among the teams that want to bring him back into the fold, that could be easier said than done.

Smith is likely to reset the guard market as the highest-paid player at his position in NFL history. With the Chiefs having a bevy of other free agent options to consider, are we sure that they can afford the price tag associated with Smith? I'm not at this point and think it's more likely another team offers him a deal that Veach and Kansas City simply can't match.