5 more Kansas City Chiefs who won’t be back to try for Super Bowl redemption

Even nearly a week removed from the Kansas City Chiefs getting their doors blown off in Super Bowl LIX by the Eagles, it still feels like this team is trying to pick up some pieces. The three-peat bid fell short and that's a tough pill to swallow, especially in a game like played out like the one in New Orleans. But soon enough, the Chiefs will be readying for a chance at redemption and trying to get their hands on the Lombardi Trophy once again.

Unfortunately, this offseason will be a tough one of the Chiefs because, well, much of the roster won't get that shot in redemption. Kansas City has a number of crucial free agent decisions to make on guys like Trey Smith, Nick Bolton, Justin Reid, Charles Omenihu and several others. And as FanSided's Kinnu Singh noted after the Super Bowl loss, some of those players won't return to the Chiefs for the 2025 season.

However, they're not alone. There are more Kansas City Chiefs who fit that bill. Whether by leaving in free agency or perhaps another avenue, these players won't be joining Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid in hopes of redeeming themselves next season following their Super Bowl embarrassment.

5. Carson Wentz won't back up Patrick Mahomes in 2025

Not that this is all that shocking but we didn't see much of Carson Wentz at quarterback in Kansas City in the 2024 season. That's obviously a good thing for the Chiefs overall considering that it means that Patrick Mahomes stayed healthy. However, this organization has done a good job over the years of having at least a passable backup plan behind Mahomes and Wentz, a former high-first-round pick in his own right, fit that mold.

There was nothing that Wentz did or didn't do this season that would make you think that the Chiefs simply wouldn't want to bring him back. At the same time, however, it's also a situation wherein Kansas City may not be left with that option, at least in a way that would make financial sense.

It feels like there is a supply and demand issue at quarterback this offseason with quite a lot of QB-needy franchises but a weak draft class combined with a risky-at-best free agent class. That could lead to Wentz having perhaps at least slightly more of a market to compete for a starting job for another team than expected. That's obviously not what the Chiefs need him for. Subsequently, I'd be surprised if there wasn't a backup other than Wentz behind Mahomes on the team's quarterback depth chart for the 2025 season.

4. Derrick Nnadi might be an odd-man-out on Chiefs D-line

One of the places that the Chiefs will have real decisions to make this offseason is on the defensive line. Frankly, that's where an incongruent portion of their free agents just in terms of volume are going to be coming from with six players on the front at the end of their contracts. While one could argue that very few of them are priorities to re-sign, Kansas City will surely want to keep some of the veterans around in that group. I don't think Derrick Nnadi will be one of them, however.

Nnadi was a third-round pick by the Chiefs back in 2018 and has spent his entire career with Kansas City to this point. However, the 2024 season was the first real time that we've seen him not only have a diminished role but truly struggle in that role. Nnadi played just 25 or more snaps in two games this past season but was one of the worst-graded defensive linemen in the NFL according to PFF ($), coming in at 112 out of 118 qualified players.

Considering that the likes of Mike Pennel and Tershawn Wharton, both fellow pending free agents, were far more effective and heavily used on the Chiefs defensive line, it's hard to see Nnadi being able to parlay such a down year into re-signing with Kansas City.

3. Joshua Uche was a trade deadline whiff by Kansas City

The Chiefs were actually busier at the trade deadline than we often see from contenders. One move that seemed like it was all-upside for the eventual AFC champions was acquiring pass-rusher Josh Uche from the Patriots as Kansas City and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo looked for a bit more depth and juice coming off the edge.

Uche, disappointingly, really failed to provide that. He played just a total of 37 snaaps from Weeks 9-13 after coming to KC before the trade deadline before being a healthy scratch throughout much of the rest of the season aside from playing 50 snaps with the backups in Week 18 as the Chiefs rested players. He then didn't see the field in the postseason, including in the Super Bowl loss when, admittedly, the defense could've clearly used more of a pass rush.

Now at the end of his rookie contract, though, the Chiefs still have a need at pass-rusher, but it's hard to believe that they believe Uche is part of that solution. That's not to say another team won't take a shot at the former second-round pick but the former Patriot being a healthy scratch down the stretch of the regular season and throughout the playoffs says a lot about where the team stands.

2. DeAndre Hopkins has to go if the Chiefs truly reshape their offense

Perhaps a year later than some people expected, the Chiefs eventually made the trade that landed them wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins following the Rashee Rice injury. While he didn't live up to his former billing as a star, he did have a big impact in helping to stabilize the passing offense down the stretch. Unfortunately, he was a non-factor in the playoffs.

Hopkins played in all three games but totaled just three catches on eight targets, including catching two of five targets in the loss to Philadelphia. While that's also when his touchdown game, that transpired well after the game was already out of reach for the Chiefs. And sadly, Hopkins looks like a part of an issue that Kansas City needs to aim to fix this offseason.

One thing that stood out against the Eagles was that the Chiefs just looked a bit slow, specifically on offense. They need to get faster throughout their skill positions. Xavier Worthy fits that mold and bringing back Hollywood Brown also makes sense. Rice should also return at some point in the 2025 season. Hopkins, however, should be someone that KC is happy to let walk in free agency as they reshape that side of the ball a bit.

1. Travis Kelce is trending toward retirement based on all the signs

Let me stop you before you get too angry. This isn't reporting; this isn't anything that has anything behind it other than reading the tea leaves to the best of my ability. But the more I look at it and how things are transpiring, I would be more shocked at this point if Travis Kelce returned to the Chiefs than if he retired at this point.

Whether it's the mic'd up conversation during the Super Bowl loss with Mahomes, his comments on his own podcast about pondering retirement, or just the general decline we saw in Kelce's play, how could you not think that way?

While it might seem counterintuitive to go out on a Super Bowl loss, it's all about knowing when to hang it up. Kelce has clearly lost a step both as a receiver but, more pressingly from what we saw against the Eagles, as a blocker even. He's not the same player he was. As the Chiefs should be looking to get faster, Kelce is the antithesis of that at this point in his career.

Maybe he comes back for one last hurrah. But again, that would be surprising to me. My current odds would be at -150, an implied probability of 60%, that he retires before free agency begins. It'll be sad to see him go, but my read on the situation is that he recognizes that it might actually be time this time around.