Chiefs decline DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah's fifth-year option

The final fifth-year option decisions are trickling in on deadline day. As the Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants made expected calls to pass on 2027 guarantees for cornerbacks Emmanuel Forbes and Deonte Banks, the Kansas City Chiefs are passing on their underwhelming 2023 first-rounder’s option.

Felix Anudike-Uzomah, who missed all of last season, will not see his option exercised, according to Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams. The Chiefs drafted the Kansas City-area native 31st overall but have not seen him make inroads toward a prominent role in their defense.

It would have cost Kansas City $14.48M to exercise Anudike-Uzomah’s option. The Kansas State alum’s work to date did not give the Chiefs much of a decision here. Anudike-Uzomah joins Banks, Forbes, Anthony Richardson (Colts), Tyree Wilson (Saints), Broderick Jones (Steelers), Jack Campbell (Lions), Mazi Smith (Jets) and Myles Murphy (Bengals) in seeing their options declined.

Even as Campbell became an All-Pro who saw his option declined — as teams have steered clear of ILBs’ options for years now — the 2023 draft produced 22 exercised options. That represents a quality group, and two of those players — Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Will Anderson Jr. — have already signed record-setting extensions at their respective positions.

The Chiefs enjoyed rare draft real estate this year, using their No. 9 pick to trade up for cornerback Mansoor Delane. The Patrick Mahomes era has otherwise featured drafts either without a first-round pick (2018, as the team traded up for Mahomes a year prior) or a draft slot at or near the bottom of the round. That was the case in 2023, when the Chiefs were coming off a Super Bowl LVII win. Anudike-Uzomah, who played at nearby Lee’s Summit (Mo.) High before trekking to Kansas State, has just three sacks in 34 career games.

Kansas City went with D-ends in back-to-back first rounds, taking George Karlaftis in 2022. He has become a key starter for the team, signing a four-year extension during the 2025 offseason. The Chiefs made Mike Danna a cap casualty last month and let Charles Omenihu walk in free agency, but they were closely linked to using one of their first-round picks on an end. That did not happen, but the team circled back to the position by selecting Oklahoma’s R Mason Thomas 40th overall.

After serving as an ineffective backup during his first two seasons, albeit while recording a sack in the Chiefs’ 2024 divisional-round win over the Texans, Anudike-Uzomah landed on IR last summer due to a hamstring strain. Those injuries typically do not cause season-nullifying transactions, but the Chiefs did not carry Anudike-Uzomah to their 53-man roster for a possible IR-return move.

He now will spend a contract year vying for playing time behind Karlaftis. The Chiefs also have 2025 third-rounder Ashton Gillotte in that mix, though the team is still looking for a surefire Karlaftis complementary piece. Anudike-Uzomah would transform his 2027 free-agent market by making a belated push, and we have seen well-timed breakouts before. But the Chiefs are understandably passing on guaranteeing him any 2027 money based on performance thus far. He will be tied to a $3.76M cap number this season.