The NFL season concluded on Super Bowl Sunday with the Seattle Seahawks’ victory. 31 other teams are chomping at the bit to prepare for the 2026 season.
In just over a month, this year’s class of unrestricted free agents will be available to negotiate contracts with other teams on the open market. Wednesday, March 11th, is the first day of the new league year, although the “legal tampering” window opens on Monday of that week.
Before that, NFL teams will have to make decisions on which pending free agents to use the Franchise Tag on. The window to designate that player is between February 17th and March 3rd.
The Kansas City Chiefs are already busy shaping up the roster for next season. For fans, the first step is knowing which players ended the season with the team, but are not on the 90-man offseason roster currently, as they prepare for free agency.
Here’s the list:
The Chiefs’ pending 2026 free agents
Tight end Travis KelceLinebacker Leo ChenalCornerback Jaylen WatsonSafety Bryan Cook
These are the headliners, with the question of retirement being an added layer to the top name on the list. Travis Kelce attended the festivities surrounding Super Bowl LX, and the conversations from the week have created a report that he and the team will be communicating soon.
The remaining three players — all three starters on the Chiefs’ defense — should be seeking multi-year deals with long-term security. With Kansas City’s cap situation, it’s hard to imagine the Chiefs being the team to offer that to all three of them.
Wide receiver Hollywood BrownWide receiver Tyquan ThorntonRunning back Kareem HuntRunning back Isiah PachecoWide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster
This group of skill-position players will be interesting to follow. Through two seasons, Brown has not quite tapped into the impact he was projected to make with the Chiefs, whether it’s his health or his quarterback’s. He feels like a candidate for a one-year, prove-it deal again, even if it isn’t a return to Kansas City. Hunt and Smith-Schuster appear to be in a similar boat.
On the flip side, wide receiver Tyquan Thornton could take advantage of an upstart fourth season as a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Even while it felt he could be featured more in the Chiefs’ pass offense, Thornton set career-high marks in receiving yards (438), touchdowns (3) and first downs (15). He led all qualified pass catchers with 23.1 yards per reception for the 2025 season.
Thornton may earn a payday on the open market, and it will be interesting to see if Pacheco has done enough in his career to secure a contract that suggests he will continue as a starting back in the league.
Defensive end Charles OmenihuDefensive tackle Mike PennelDefensive tackle Jerry TilleryDefensive tackle Derrick Nnadi
This group of veteran defensive linemen has been fascinating to monitor over the years. Multiple names on this list have been re-signed to one-year deals in past offseasons to continue in Kansas City. It’s clear that guys like Pennel and Nnadi are trusted by the coaching staff, but younger players with more potential need to replace the roles filled by this group at some point.
Quarterback Gardner MinshewLinebacker Jack CochraneRunning back Dameon PierceCornerback Joshua WilliamsCornerback Nazeeh JohnsonTight end Robert TonyanSafety Mike EdwardsSafety Deon BushDefensive end Janarius RobinsonLong snapper James Winchester
This is the Chiefs’ unrestricted free agent class of 2026. Who do you think the team should re-sign? Which players feel more likely than others? Let us know in the comments and The Feed as we kick off free agency coverage this week.
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