NFL rumors: Chiefs losing stars, Commanders stealing Cowboys, a Falcons pass-rush?!

With Super Bowl 59 on the horizon, we only have one more game to worry about before the NFL goes into the heart of the offseason. While the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs and NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles get ready for the latest biggest game of their lives, the other 30 NFL franchises are all looking for new and creative ways to beat them so that they can take their place next season.

One of the best ways to do that is to have a fantastic offseason game plan. This requires having the right coaching staff and front office in place to put forth the best plan of attack to re-sign key players, possibly extend them, pursue other players who are hitting the market, all before adding the next pillars of one's franchise by way of the NFL Draft. But we all know that NFL free agency comes first...

That is why after looking at ESPN's Matt Bowen's top 50 free agents for the 2025 NFL offseason, I wanted to expound on this a bit more with some of the best NFL rumors his colleague Jeremy Fowler has put out there. The players he has leaving the Kansas City Chiefs are fascinating, just as much as who could be joining the Washington Commanders and the Atlanta Falcons' defenses next season.

Let's start with the Dirty Birds before working our way to Washington and then ending with the Chiefs.

Atlanta Falcons are tied to Los Angeles Chargers EDGE Khalil Mack

While the Falcons may need to prioritize bringing back starting center Drew Dalman on a new contract, this is a team that projects to be one of seven NFL teams in the red up against the projected salary cap for 2025. Dalman is an excellent player, but he did miss a lot of last season. The one name that Fowler connected to Atlanta has my intrigue in Los Angeles Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack.

Taken one pick ahead of Jake Matthews in the 2014 NFL Draft, it would be absolutely incredible if the former Oakland Raiders and Chicago Bears edge rusher made Atlanta his home for the home stretch of his hall-of-fame career. Mack may not be as explosive as he once was, but remains a productive player at this stage of the game. More importantly, he has shown he can make his teammates better.

With Jeff Ulbrich coming back to Atlanta to serve as the Falcons' next defensive coordinator, he made it a point in his introductory press conference that getting after the passer is paramount. So is breathing, and rushing the passer has been the moon for the Falcons since I could legally drive a car. This feels like a move that could make or break the Falcons as they try to end their playoff drought.

It should be noted that Fowler tied them to Atlanta's bitter rival in the Carolina Panthers as well, too.

Washington Commanders could poach Osa Odighizuwa from bitter rival

The NFC East is now a two-team division, one where the Dallas Cowboys still think they are on top of the world, but are circling the drain faster than Daniel Jones could ever hope to fumble the football. Jerry Jones' decision to enter the coaching carousel a week late proved so costly. By not moving off Mike McCarthy sooner, he ended up hiring a career assistant in Brian Schottenheimer to lead them.

While I am not the biggest Schottenheimer detractor, this is not a hire you make to win champions. The right head coach to lead the Cowboys now works in Washington. Dan Quinn had the upstart Washington Commanders playing in the NFC Championship in his first year on the job. The former Cowboys defensive coordinator is now tied to one of the best free agents hitting the market in 2025.

Fowler mentioned defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa as a prime candidate to reunite with Quinn in Washington in his free agency. Quinn is a former defensive lineman himself, one who is every bit a player's coach. The vibes are high on the gridiron in Washington. Dallas continues to be the most decadent franchise we have seen in the NFL since the late Al Davis was running the show in Oakland.

For me to say I like Washington's Super Bowl odds next year far more than Dallas' is quite alarming.

Kansas City Chiefs could lose Trey Smith and Nick Bolton in free agency

While I do not think Kansas City Chiefs fans care about this at all right now, I am sure they have accepted that most other teams want their players, however they can get them. Because this a hard salary-capped league, there are only so many ways you can allocate those finite financial resources, even if the pie grows larger every year. There is a chance that the Chiefs could lose two of their stars.

The biggest name that the Chiefs could potentially lose is guard Trey Smith. Grossly underdrafted out of Tennessee, Fowler said that the Chicago Bears might be in hot pursuit of him in free agency. Again, this is the team that Ryan Poles used to work for. They have a new offensive-minded head coach in Ben Johnson, as well as a franchise quarterback in Caleb Williams. Smith is about to be a rich man!

The other big name from the Chiefs that could be going to a new team next year is linebacker Nick Bolton. While Fowler did not tie him to any team in particular, his concern is that the Chiefs may not prioritize spending enough money for a player at Bolton's position to bring him back. He may be one of Steve Spagnuolo's favorite players, but the best decision for his wallet exists outside Kansas City.

I doubt the Chiefs let Smith walk, but it feels way more likely that Bolton would be the one to leave.