Top 5 Kansas City Chiefs Free Agents, Ranked

4. Isiah Pacheco

Isiah Pacheco is a fine running back who produced far more than your average seventh-round pick. Through his first two years in the league, the Rutgers product looked like a good-but-not-great starter with a pounding, physical style of play.

Unfortunately, the NFL is a “what have you done for me lately” league, and Pacheco has not played well in recent seasons. He hasn’t averaged more than four yards per carry since 2023, and a well-past-his-prime Kareem Hunt outplayed him the past two seasons. While he played a key role on two championship teams, the Chiefs are better off saving their money and letting the free agent sign with a different organization. Quite frankly, Kansas City could probably find a similar talent in the fourth or fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

3. Travis Kelce

It’s hard to envision a world where Travis Kelce plays for anyone other than the Kansas City Chiefs in 2026. While the future Hall of Famer has lost a step in recent seasons, he’s still one of the league’s better tight ends and has an unmatched rapport with superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Kansas City shouldn’t be worried about losing him to another organization, but they should be worried about his potential retirement.

Kelce will be 37 next year, which is well past the point where most non-quarterbacks call it a career. The tight end, who hinted at retirement last year , is engaged to pop icon Taylor Swift, and already has a post-playing career mapped out thanks to his social media presence. Throw in the uncertainty surrounding Mahomes’ recovery from an ACL injury, and nobody should be too surprised if he calls it a career in the coming months.

2. Bryan Cook

Bryan Cook has been one of the breakout stars of the 2025 season and has been one of the few silver linings on an otherwise disastrous campaign. While he established himself as a starter in 2023, he earned a lot of money in 2025. With one game left to play, the former second-round pick has recorded 79 tackles, one tackle-for-loss, and an 82.2 PFF grade, the fifth-best mark out of 98 safeties.

It will be fascinating to see how the free agent market plays out for the Chiefs homegrown star. On the one hand, it’s hard to find players who can defend the run and the pass at a high level, and he’ll only be 27 years old in 2026. On the other hand, safeties historically don’t earn that much money (relatively speaking), and Cook only has one season of elite play under his belt.

Kansas City should try to retain his services, but there is a decent chance that a team with more cap space makes an offer the team simply cannot match.

1. Jaylen Watson

Kansas City Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach must do everything in his power to keep Jaylen Watson from leaving as a free agent. Cornerback is one of the game’s most important positions, and Watson might be the league’s best CB2. The former seventh-round pick first earned a starting job in 2024 following L’Jarius Sneed’s departure, and the 2025 season proved his strong performance wasn’t a one-year fluke.

As of this posting, Watson ranks 12th in the NFL with a 74.9 PFF grade. There simply aren’t enough good cornerbacks to go around, and Watson could break the bank if he actually reaches the open market. The Chiefs haven’t shied away from using the franchise tag in the past, so don’t be surprised if they use it to keep Watson away from free agency.