Chiefs News 1/31: Chiefs have two top-10 defensive free agents

SB Nation

The latest

2026 NFL Free Agency: 10 defensive free agents who deserve to get paid | Pro Football Focus

S Bryan Cook
Projected AAV: $14.2 million

Although the Chiefs underperformed this past season, Cook made massive

strides, earning a career-best 83.5 PFF overall grade, the fifth-highest mark among qualifying safeties. The 26-year-old stood as the only safety to earn above an 80.0-plus PFF grade in both run defense (80.1) and coverage (83.2). He also ranked above the 90th percentile in missed tackle rate among safeties.

While Cook’s grading profile in previous seasons doesn’t jump off the page, he brings experience as a starter in a complex defensive scheme. His talent is undeniable, and at just over $14 million annually, Cook would rank just inside the 12 highest-paid safeties.

CB Jaylen Watson
Projected AAV: $12.5 million

Joining teammate Bryan Cook on this list, Watson is another standout member of the Chiefs’ secondary in line for a lucrative payday. Watson has been one of the most consistent performers in Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme, earning a 68.0-plus PFF overall grade in each of the past three seasons. Over that span, he notched a 74.9 PFF coverage grade at outside cornerback, placing him in the 85th percentile.

Watson brings high-percentile length at cornerback to make him an enticing option this free agency cycle. At $12.5 million annually, Watson’s projected value would be in line with Brandon Stephens’ three-year, $36 million deal last offseason with the Jets.

NFL carousel leaves Matt Nagy staring down an ugly coaching reality | Sports Illustrated

Three other teams were “in” on Nagy with varied interest, from rumored ties to official interviews, but nothing has panned out. The Baltimore Ravens replaced John Harbaugh with Jesse Minter. The Cardinals were reportedly going to call Nagy, but nothing official has been announced even as Arizona has zeroed in on the likes of L.A. Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur or Seattle Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak.

The Las Vegas Raiders are the other team still looking for their head coach, and they’ve actually interviewed Nagy. That’s his best bet at this point, but there’s typically a decent amount of smoke at this point in a hiring process that points toward an obvious candidate. Nagy has none of that working for him this late in the hiring cycle. Things can change, but any sort of head coaching offer feels like a long shot at this stage.

The Chiefs need to re-sign Tyquan Thornton (and actually use him) | Arrowhead Addict

Yards per route in 2025

Rashee Rice – 2.16
Tyquan Thornton 1.7
Hollywood Brown – 1.49
Xavier Worthy – 1.26
Juju Smith-Schuster – .89

For some context, other wideouts who averaged close to 1.7 yards per route run last season include Emeka Egbuka, Garrett Wilson, Romeo Doubs, and Khalil Shakir. Meanwhile, other wideouts who played regularly and averaged around Xavier Worthy’s 1.26 YPRR include Keon Coleman, Josh Palmer, Darius Slayton, and Pat Bryant. Ironically, Skyy Moore also averaged 1.26 YPRR on limited offensive snaps with the 49ers last season.

On a team where they struggled to get wide receiver production outside of Rashee Rice and struggled to create big plays down the field, it is inexcusable that they kept Thornton on the sideline while giving Kansas City’s two least efficient wideouts (Worthy and Smith-Schuster) each over 600 offensive snaps. It makes zero sense. Just look at these yards per reception numbers.

Around the NFL

NFL salary cap to crest $300 million in 2026 | USA Today

The NFL informed its clubs on Jan. 30 that the league’s salary cap is expected to increase to between $301.2 million and $305.7 million per team in 2026, according to a person with knowledge of the announcement. The person spoke to USA TODAY on the condition of anonymity because the numbers were not yet official.

If finalized, the increase would be up to $26.5 million higher than the $279.2 million teams could work with under the 2025 cap.

Sources: Seahawks will go up for sale after Super Bowl LX | ESPN

Paul Allen agreed to buy the Seahawks from Ken Behring in 1996, with the deal becoming official in 1997. The deal saved the team from a potential relocation to Southern California. If sold again, the franchise could set a record for an NFL team sale price coming off a Super Bowl appearance and possibly a championship.

The Seahawks have made the playoffs in seven of the past 10 years. They are based at legendary Lumen Field, which opposing players have said is one of the toughest stadiums to play at and which is receiving nearly $20 million in upgrades ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The franchise also has one of the NFL’s best-regarded general manager-head coach combinations in John Schneider and Mike Macdonald.

Sports teams valuations have been soaring in recent years. Sportico values the Seahawks at $6.59 billion, the 14th highest in the NFL, according to its ranking. The most recent NFL team to sell was the Washington Commanders, which a group led by Josh Harris purchased in 2023 for a record $6.05 billion. The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers sold a majority stake in the team at a $10 billion valuation in June.

One team executive told ESPN that the Seahawks could fetch $7 billion to $8 billion.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Jeremiyah Love to the Chiefs is nothing more than a pipe dream

Let’s say the Chiefs go the “cheap” route and sign Allgeier or Dowdle. That would likely account for roughly $5 million against the cap in the 2026 season. Doubling down on the position with Love would also come with a hefty price: Kelvin Banks Jr., the ninth-overall selection last year, signed a four-year deal worth $28 million. His first year had a cap hit of $5 million.

Are the Chiefs suddenly spending eight figures and utilizing a top-10 overall selection to fix the running back position? Some may believe that’s the best use of resources. Reasonable minds can disagree. I certainly don’t view it that way. This team has too many holes at too many valuable positions to spend that much precious capital on the backfield.