Despite some turbulence, the Kansas City Chiefs were on cruise control in 2024 until they ran into the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.
In the grand scheme of things, even following a crushing defeat on the NFL's biggest stage, last season was wildly successful for the Chiefs. They went 15-2 en route to their seventh straight AFC Championship Game and fifth Super Bowl appearance in that span.
However, Kansas City is seemingly using their loss to the Eagles as fuel to reflect on how they can improve next season. The Chiefs know they have their hands full to return to prominence this offseason and have begun making moves accordingly in search of answers. Whether we agree with the decision-making process is another topic, but the team is taking action.
With that in mind, here's the latest chatter surrounding the Chiefs organization.
Carson Wentz's free agency highlights Chiefs glaring need to address backup QB
The backup quarterback position may not necessarily be a high priority for a club that boasts football's premier passer, Patrick Mahomes, under center. But Carson Wentz's looming free agency forces the Chiefs to at least consider addressing their No. 2 signal-caller spot, which is well overdue.
Wentz has reportedly been deemed a "name to watch" ($) for the Cleveland Browns, who want to pair a young passer with a veteran. While he's not the hottest commodity available, there's ostensibly a market for his services. The Chiefs must brace for the possibility of needing to replace him. And frankly, they should welcome the opportunity.
While Wentz hasn't played much over the past two seasons, the limited sample size has left much to be desired. He completed a paltry 58.8 percent of his attempts for 98 scoreless yards and took four sacks in his lone spot start for Mahomes. Are the Chiefs sure they can rely on the 2016 No. 2 overall selection when called upon?
History has shown the Chiefs prefer to have an experienced option behind Mahomes. A clear pattern has developed from Wentz to Blaine Gabbert, to Chad Henne and then to Matt Moore. Nonetheless, each has come and gone for different reasons, so it might be time for Kansas City to take a different approach.
Chiefs' decision to trade Joe Thuney to Bears is a bet on Kingsley Suamataia
Kansas City shocked many by trading All-Pro guard Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears, willingly parting ways with a key cog of their offensive line. Yet, the Chiefs executed the stunning swap to get younger up front and free up funds to allocate their finances elsewhere. Moreover, they made the move knowing his replacement was already on the roster, à la last year's second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia.
After drafting Suamataia as a left tackle, the Chiefs kicked him inside to guard for their 2024 regular-season finale loss to the Denver Broncos. Head coach Andy Reid apparently liked what he saw from the BYU product enough to re-route Thuney to Chicago and inadvertently anoint him the successor.
And notably, Suamataia's Relative Athletic Score (RAS) profile translates much better as a guard than tackle (h/t Arrowhead Addict's Price Carter):
Kingsley at guard compared to tackle FYI https://t.co/NytLhTaziA pic.twitter.com/3qNBYhBH4e
— Price Carter (@priceacarter) March 5, 2025
As you can see, Suamataia's combination of size, speed and explosiveness makes him a near-perfect guard prospect, yielding a 9.94 score out of 10. For context, it's a sizable difference compared to his 9.4 tally as a tackle.
Suamataia's physical gifts didn't reflect on the field as a rookie with the Chiefs. Pro Football Focus (PFF) graded him as a well-below-average blocker in passing and rushing situations. Kansas City shipping Thuney to the Bears is their way of betting on additional reps leading to his continued development.
Travis Kelce feels like he owes it to the Chiefs to play out his contract
Future first-ballot Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce has nothing left to prove. He could hang up the cleats right now and go down as one of (if not the) best to ever play. Not only at his position but among the top players in league history. Regardless, the 35-year-old has elected to return to Kansas City for a 13th season after taking some time to contemplate retirement.
Kelce didn't take the possibility of calling it a career lightly, but the 10-time Pro Bowler is fully committed to his choice. Speaking on the topic, he expressed immense gratitude for Kansas City, which was a driving factor for continuing to play.
"I love so many people in Kansas City, both in that facility, in the community, and it's home for me now," Kelce stated (h/t Kevin Patra of NFL.com). "I don't want to leave that life yet. I put in a lot of hard work ... a lot of focus into being the best that I can for K.C."
The Chiefs fell short of their ultimate goal last season, but Kelce could've walked away with his head held high. Yet, he feels obligated to play out the two-year, $34.25 million extension he signed in April 2024.
"Last year, it didn't end well for us. I just feel like there's a responsibility in me to play out the contract that I initially signed, to give Kansas City and the Chiefs organization everything that I've got, and that's what I'm going to do, man,"
After entrenching himself as an icon in Kansas City, Kelce is prepared to leave it all out on the field for the Chiefs.