Nov 2, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (80) runs with the ball in the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

A Chiefs Offseason Tracker to Detail Every Move

Originally posted on Kansas City Chiefs on SI
By Zak Gilbert | Last updated Jan 30, 2026 6:41 PM ET

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Allen Wright might be the busiest equipment manager in the league this spring.

The Chiefs have 21 players eligible for unrestricted free agency. They own NFL’s worst cap situation and they enter the draft with the ninth-overall pick, their most valuable draft asset since 2012.

Here’s a look at the 21 Chiefs players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in March.

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Unrestricted free agents

Hollywood Brown, WR

Deon Bush, S

Leo Chenal, LB

Jack Cochrane, LB

Bryan Cook, S

Mike Edwards, S

Kareem Hunt, RB

Nazeeh Johnson, S

Travis Kelce, TE

Gardner Minshew, QB

Derrick Nnadi, DT

Charles Omenihu, DE

Mike Pennel, DT

Dameon Pierce, RB

Janarius Robinson, DE

JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR

Tyquan Thornton, WR

Jerry Tillery, DT

Robert Tonyan, TE

Joshua Williams, CB

James Winchester, LS

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But they also got good news Friday afternoon, a league memo projecting the 2026 salary cap at more than $300 million per club. That news came a month after another gift arrived, in bittersweet fashion.

It’s something they haven’t had since 2014: A season without a playoff berth, and plenty of time before the scouting combine to reset the roster. That time is gold, too.

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Just ask defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

“Look, when you go as far as we have,” Spagnuolo said last month, referring to Kansas City’s deep playoff runs, “that's a month and a week of looking at pro personnel across the league, looking at draft.

“I can remember going to a number of these combines recently, where I knew very little about the guys that we were sitting with and talked to. And then, what you gain here is when you go out there and you talk to these players, now you have a little bit of an idea who they are and what they've done. Because you've probably seen a little bit of film on them.”

There’ll be plenty of film rolling at Chiefs headquarters in coming weeks. And while some of the team’s coaches, scouts and personnel executives are evaluating college prospects, others are hard at work finalizing grades and valuations on free agents and cap casualties.

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Potential cap casualties

Mike Danna, DE

Kristian Fulton, CB

Jaylon Moore, T

Jawaan Taylor, T

Expect to hear the biggest names and their 2026 teams beginning Monday, March 9. That’s when clubs are allowed to contact and negotiate with agents of players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents. The league year begins March 11.

In the meantime, trades could be revealed by insiders, but none will become official until the league year begins on that second Wednesday in March.