The Kansas City Chiefs are amidst their most important offseason since all-world quarterback Patrick Mahomes took over as their starter in 2018.
Sure, the 2022 offseason was also pivotal for Kansas City. After losing to Cincinnati in overtime of the AFC Championship Game to finish the 2021 season, the Chiefs rocked the NFL by trading All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill to Miami. The pressure was on Chiefs general manager Brett Veach to nail the 2022 NFL Draft, and he did. Seven players became instant impact starters as rookies, helping Kansas City win Super Bowl LVII. As the Chiefs prepared to make their unprecedented third-straight Super Bowl appearance in February 2025, Veach said the 2022 draft class was “a big reason why we’re here.”
That draft class will now also determine where the Chiefs go from here.
Was last season a hiccup in the dynasty, or a canary in the coal mine for the rest of Mahomes’ prime?
After finishing 6-11 in 2025, the Chiefs are treating this offseason with the same level of aggression as in 2022. On Wednesday, Kansas City traded All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie - drafted at No. 21 overall in 2022 - to the Los Angeles Rams. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Rams will “likely” soon make McDuffie the league’s highest-paid cornerback at more than $30.1 million per year. The Chiefs received a draft haul, including one of the Rams’ 2026 first-round draft picks (No. 29), but they also might have given themselves flexibility to prevent losing another 2022 NFL Draft gem.
“Now, you’ve got to decide what you want to do with Jaylen Watson, who is also a free agent at the cornerback position and a guy that is extremely highly thought of - and a guy that has come along with secondary coach David Merritt,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo said on Good Morning Football on Thursday.
Garofolo added, “The Chiefs are going to make a run at Jaylen Watson, who has really come along as a complete cornerback. He can do a little bit of everything. He’s got length. He’s got speed. He can play press. He can tackle. His instincts have come along - again, thanks to the tutelage of Merritt in the back there, and Steve Spagnuolo, the defensive coordinator as well. So, I’m really now looking to see what they’re going to do with Watson, who is a free agent - who is gonna make a lot of money! And maybe that was part of it. Maybe the Chiefs were saying, ‘We’ve got to clear some space because this is one of the guys we have to pay.'”
While McDuffie was a blue-chip prospect, Watson was taken in the seventh round. The Georgia native struggled in college, even having to work at Wendy’s with his mom after academic issues took football away for a while. Ironically, Watson’s breakout moment only happened because he was playing in place of an injured McDuffie in Week 2 of the 2022 season. In that win over the Los Angeles Chargers, Watson had a 99-yard pick-six. Since then, he slowly developed into a lockdown corner and hard-hitting tackler.
Now, according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, the 27-year-old Watson stands to demand between $15 million and $23 million per year in the free agency market. ESPN’s Matt Bowen ranks Watson at No. 13 on his list of the top 100 players available. Teams can begin negotiating with free agents on March 9, and the new league year and free agency period officially open on March 11.
Whether the Chiefs retain Watson - or safety Bryan Cook, another 2022 draft standout - one truth remains: Veach and the Chiefs have to hit on their 2026 draft picks as they did in 2022.
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