Chiefs Veteran Expressed Desire to Stay with Kansas City

The Kansas City Chiefs' defense has a lot of veterans who have created a bond with one another throughout the years. The bond shows both on and off the football field, as the Chiefs possess one of the best defensive rosters in the National Football League, led by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

Going into the new campaign, the Chiefs brought in several new faces through both the 2025 NFL Draft and pro free agency to help aid this defense. One familiar face returning to Kansas City this season is that of defensive end George Karlaftis.

Karlaftis is going into the final year of his rookie contract that he signed with the Chiefs following the 2022 NFL Draft. While his four-year rookie deal is coming to an end, Karlaftis will be sticking around for a fifth following the Chiefs exercising their fifth-year option on Karlaftis for the 2026 campaign.

Karlaftis has been deemed one of the more underrated defensive ends in the NFL as of late, making the fifth-year option look that much more impactful. But when that fifth year is all said and done, the future of Karlaftis staying in Kansas City is unknown, regardless of his expressed desire of wanting to stay with the organization.

"I'll let whoever is at the handle handle that," Karlaftis said to the media on Thursday. "But, you know, I'd like to be here as long as I can. My now-fiancé and I absolutely love Kansas City, love this organization. So, you know, I'll let whoever is the handle handle that. But I love it here."

Karlaftis is still a young player in the league, going into his age-24 campaign. With the youthfulness still on his side, Karlaftis believes that his best football is still ahead, as he strives to get better.

"The constant pursuit of perfection, you know? Obviously, you're going to fall short. But, yeah, just constantly trying to get better, you know, identifying the stuff I want to do better, I want to be better at, and kind of going from there."

Through 49 regular season games with Kansas City, Karlaftis has totaled 115 total tackles, 24.5 quarterback sacks, and 13 stuffs. Paired with his playoff success, which features eight quarterback sacks in 10 games, there is still upside to look forward to in Karlaftis.

Be sure to follow us on X (Twitter) @KCChiefsOnSI and @Domminchella to never miss another breaking news story again.

Click here to let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.