As the offseason began, the Kansas City Chiefs seemed to recognize a need for major change after going 6-11 in 2025 and missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
The Chiefs have undergone a heavy transformation. The offense seems set for a shift in philosophy after the team signed star running back Kenneth Walker III to an expensive three-year contract. On defense, the Chiefs have let multiple key starters depart via free agency (or trade) and seem set to retool in April’s draft. The team has
four of the top 75 selections next month.
A concern moving forward, however, is that the team’s depth — a group of players who faltered down the stretch in 2025 — is largely unchanged. After notable moves like bringing in Walker and signing veteran defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga, the front office has mostly pivoted to re-signing their own backups after the initial wave of free agency:
- The agent for wide receiver Nikko Remigio announced he was returning to the Chiefs before the league year officially started on March 11.
- After declining an expensive “restricted free agency” tender for guard Mike Caliendo, Kansas City eventually brought him back on a one-year contract.
- The second week of free agency ended with linebacker Jack Cochrane signing a new contract with the Chiefs.
Now that contracts for Remigio, Caliendo and Cochrane are available via Spotrac, let’s take a look at the overall roster security for all three players — as well as some reasons the Chiefs were not as ready to move on as fans are.
Nikko Remigio
We can now confirm that Remigio has signed an “exclusive rights free agency” tender. By extending him a non-guaranteed offer of just under $1.1 million — the minimum base salary in 2026 for players with two credited seasons — the Chiefs barred Remigio from speaking with other teams. To have a chance of playing this season, the receiver and kick returner had no choice but to accept the offer.
Remigio will have no guaranteed money, and he will probably face competition in the return game from rookies or from second-year running back Brashard Smith, who may need to reinvent himself to stick on the roster following the overhaul of the Chiefs’ backfield.
Remigio underwhelmed in the return game last season. However, we are not far removed from the 26-year-old delivering on a pair of crucial postseason return game moments that helped propel the Chiefs to Super Bowl LIX.
Much of Remigio’s earlier hype also came from highlights in offseason workouts and training camp. While the Chiefs spend much of the next few months evaluating cornerbacks, Remigio has shown he can at least be depended on to test the mettle of defenders. At minimum salary, there was simply no reason for the Chiefs not to keep him on the 90-man roster.
Caliendo and Cochrane, on the other hand, do not come with a risk-free trial.
Mike Caliendo and Jack Cochrane
Spotrac reveals that both players have received a $150,000 signing bonus, and the Chiefs guaranteed $500,000 in base salary to each of them. Caliendo and Cochrane each have salary cap charges of about $1.4 million.
The money is not substantial, but the modest guarantees suggest the Chiefs see both players as strong candidates for the final 53-man roster. At the very least, the two would probably be offered positions on the practice squad at salaries that would partially offset the guaranteed money.
Caliendo has started multiple games each of the past two seasons as the Chiefs have navigated injuries to the offensive line. In both seasons, he has initially played well, such as not surrendering pressure in his first action last season when right guard Trey Smith left Week 7’s victory over the Las Vegas Raiders with a back injury. However, he has never been able to sustain his best moments and has repeatedly proven to be a liability as a blocker.
Cochrane’s reputation may be worse than deserved — mainly because many fans first learned his name when two of his seven career penalties came in Week 5’s disappointing loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. While he has been in on more than 75% of the Chiefs’ special teams snaps in two of the last three seasons, Cochrane has never carved out a role on defense other than as a deep reserve.
The bottom line
Spotrac currently estimates the Chiefs to be about $7.8 million under the salary cap. The contracts for Caliendo, Cochrane and Remigio have negligible impact on available cap space, and the decisions to bring them back are likely completely unrelated to players who have moved on from the roster.
The Chiefs will also need to bring in more players at all three positions to have enough depth for training camp. While the 2025 season leaves a bad taste overall for the Chiefs, all three players have had moments that justify allowing them to at least compete for their jobs.
Whatever the 90-man roster that goes to St. Joseph in July looks like, it will undoubtedly have multiple worse NFL talents than Caliendo, Cochrane, and Remigio. However, the Chiefs currently hold 9 picks in next month’s draft. With five of those selections coming on Day Three, it would not be surprising to see the Chiefs add an interior lineman, a linebacker and a wide receiver that factors into the return game.
It is fair to question Kansas City’s willingness to move on from familiar players given recent history. As the team transitions to the next phase from a team that advanced to three consecutive Super Bowls, the Chiefs’ coaching staff must create legitimate competition for reserve players — and determine the results of roster battles with fidelity, rather than with nostalgia.
