In this series, we will look at established players — virtual locks to make this year’s Kansas City Chiefs squad — with the most riding on the 2026 season.
If the Chiefs knew how the 2025 NFL Draft would unfold, the front office would probably not have given tackle Jaylon Moore a two-year contract worth $30 million to open free agency a month earlier.
After a woeful performance in Super Bowl LIX, featuring continuous pressure on quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs prioritized blocking as free agency
opened and inked Moore, who earned the deal by playing well with the San Francisco 49ers in relief of veteran left tackle Trent Williams.
In the draft, however, the Chiefs landed Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons, who was coming off a major injury. Simmons would win the starting job in camp, rendering Moore an expensive backup.
The Chiefs felt fortunate to have Moore on deck in Week 5, when Simmons took leave from the team hours before a game against the Detroit Lions. On short notice, the veteran turned in a great performance while allowing a single sack on three pressures, per PFF. Moore was solid, if unspectacular, in starting the next three games at left tackle before Simmons’ eventual return.
After right tackle Jawaan Taylor — now with the Atlanta Falcons after being released by Kansas City in March — was injured in Week 13, Moore was asked to play on the right side. The results were not as encouraging. PFF graded Moore at 58.7 in Week 14 against the Houston Texans (who boast a historically-great defensive front, to be fair).
He followed up that performance a week later with a 52.6 grade against the Los Angeles Chargers. Moore would leave that game with an injury of his own and play only two snaps the rest of the season.
The Chiefs were widely rumored to be seeking reinforcements at tackle this offseason both in free agency and the draft. Passing on multiple opportunities to address the position would seem to show at least moderate confidence that Moore can hold down right tackle after Taylor’s tenure, one that clearly frustrated fans, but largely delivered a consistent right tackle to the offense over three seasons.
This seems a risky strategy.
Both in college at Western Michigan and with the 49ers, Moore played almost exclusively on the left side before coming to Kansas City. While he played adequately on the left side for Kansas City last year, Simmons clearly offers the higher ceiling and boasts four more seasons of control on his rookie contract.
Unfortunately, Moore’s two largest samples at right tackle in 2025 saw him surrender nine total pressures and turn in his worst performance of the season in the run game against the Chargers.
Moore will re-enter free agency next spring just ahead of his 30th birthday. Because the tackle position generally rewards even acceptable play with higher-than-expected salaries, Moore can easily play himself into another lucrative contract as long as Mahomes has room to operate on his throwing side of the pocket.
The lack of playable tackles all but guarantees Moore will be in the NFL somewhere in 2027 barring injury. Whether that sees him continue to make $15 million or more per season or take a bargain free-agent swing tackle offer depends on what he looks like on the right side. A full season of solid play will see him handsomely compensated in Kansas City or elsewhere a year from now.
Losing his job to second-year pro Esa Pole, or seeing the Chiefs free-agent shopping at right tackle after camp, would impact Moore’s future-earnings potential, likely setting him up to play the remainder of his career on a series of diminishing one-year contracts.
