The latest
2026 NFL offseason: Free agents, draft notes, predictions | ESPN
What is their top offseason priority?
Improve the pass rush. The Chiefs must find an above-average pass rusher to put alongside Chris Jones and George Karlaftis. In past years, they have prioritized improving the offensive line. This year, that focus should shift to Steve Spagnuolo’s unit either through free agency or with their first-round pick.What is one secondary priority to watch? Convince tight end Travis Kelce to return. The odds
might not be in the Chiefs’ favor, but he is still productive and someone Patrick Mahomes trusts over any other pass catcher. A reasonable one-year contract could lead to Kelce returning to the roster for Mahomes’ return following his recovery from a left knee injury. — Nate Taylor
Mecole Hardman scored TD for Bills on an iconic Chiefs Super Bowl play | Kansas City Star
Because of injuries, Hardman was elevated Friday to the Bills active roster, and he made an immediate impact Saturday in Buffalo’s Divisional playoff game at Denver. Hardman caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen late in the first quarter, and it looked familiar to Chiefs fans. The play the Bills ran appeared to be the same as the Chiefs’ game-winning play in overtime of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.
As mentioned earlier, the NFL is a copycat league which makes this story even better. The Chiefs stole/borrowed that game-winning play from … the Bills.
Suggs Narrates Unbelievable Story of Chiefs, Mahomes Recruiting Him | Sports Illustrated
“Andy Reid called me,” Suggs told Marshawn Lynch and Mike Robinson on this week’s edition of the Get Got podcast. “He didn’t even call my agent. I don’t even know how he got my (expletive) number to this day.”
Going hard after Suggs, a veteran with 138 career sacks in his 17th NFL season, Reid boldly compared himself to his former coordinator John Harbaugh, Suggs’ Baltimore head coach from 2008-18.
“He said, ‘I know you love Baltimore, but you gotta understand I gave Harbs his first coaching job. Everything you love about Harbs, he got from me. You come with me, you’ll win a Super Bowl.’
“And I was like, ‘Alright, Coach, let me sleep on it.’”
Suggs didn’t even hit his snooze button until a confident young quarterback, then with zero Super Bowl rings, delivered the Chiefs’ dagger.
“Yeah, I hung up the phone and Patrick Mahomes calls me,” Suggs recalled. “He was the show then, you know what I’m saying? Yeah, he was the show. And he was like, ‘Sizzle, come get the Super Bowl ring.’ I said, ‘OK, I’ll be there in the morning.’”
Around the NFL
NFL playoffs: 10 biggest winners and losers from Bills-Broncos, 49ers-Seahawks | NFL.com
2) Bills quarterback Josh Allen: There isn’t much left to say about Allen when it comes to postseason defeats. He’s dealt with some heartbreakers over the course of his career, but this one should hurt a bit more because of his role. We usually talk about the Buffalo supporting cast failing Allen in critical situations when the Bills lose in the playoffs. This time around, he was a big part of the problem. The same quarterback who’s been phenomenal throughout his postseason career — he hadn’t given the ball away once in his last six playoff games — ended up with four turnovers. Allen fumbled three times and lost two of those while also throwing two interceptions. Some of those turnovers came down to a Denver defender making a great play, like the one McMillian made in ripping the ball away from Cooks in overtime for that interception. At other times, it was Allen simply trying to do too much, when he lost the football while scrambling with two seconds left in the first half and set up a Will Lutz field goal after Denver recovered that mishap. It’s fair to say the Bills would have won that game if Allen could have avoided one of those turnovers. Since he didn’t, this ends up being another year where Buffalo fans are left to wonder what it will take for this team to win a championship during his tenure. It’s been said many times that Allen was poised to benefit from a postseason without Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson playing. Turns out that advantage didn’t take the Bills any farther than they’ve already been in recent years.
NFL playoff overreactions for divisional round: C.J. Stroud cost himself millions? | CBS Sports
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
It was a downright terrible day for C.J. Stroud. The Houston Texans quarterback looked lost throughout his team’s 28-16 loss to the New England Patriots, and tossed four interceptions in the losing effort. Stroud was erratic with the ball for the bulk of the game and completed just 45.4% of his passes and finished with a 28.0 passer rating.
When you factor in his poor showing over Wild Card Weekend against Pittsburgh, Stroud became the first player in NFL playoff history with five-plus interceptions and five-plus fumbles in a postseason. Not great.
This disastrous postseason comes at a bad time for Stroud, who is extension-eligible this offseason. The knee-jerk reaction to this performance would be that the Texans should not sign Stroud to an extension and/or not ink him to a deal that pays him around $55 million annually with the upper-echelon quarterbacks.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott said postgame that he believes Cooks made a catch and was down by contact.
“It’s hard for me to understand why it was ruled the way it was ruled,” McDermott said at the podium. “If it is ruled that way, then why wasn’t it slowed down just to make sure that we have this right. That would have made a lot of sense to me. … Because that’s a pivotal play in the game. [We’d] have the ball at the 20 and may be kicking a game-winning field goal right there.
“So I’ll just leave it at that.”
But McDermott didn’t.
Impassioned, he suddenly added:
“But I’m saying it because I’m standing up for Buffalo, damn it. I’m standing up for us. Because what went on is not how it should go down, in my estimation. These guys spend three hours out there playing football, pouring their guts out. To not even say, ‘Hey, let’s just slow this thing down.’
“That’s why I’m bothered.”
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Tiering the Chiefs’ roster ahead of offseason movement
Tier 4: Rookie-deal players who haven’t emerged yet
Players: Wide receiver Xavier Worthy, cornerback Nohl Williams, defensive end Ashton Gillotte, defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott, safety Jaden Hicks and safety Chamarri Conner
Worthy being on this list after his rookie year is disappointing, but this is the level his career is currently at. The 2025 season was a poor one for Worthy. He battled through injuries, but he struggled to make plays by beating man coverage. He aligned more on the outside once Rice came back, and it was ineffective. For Worthy to reach his ceiling, his role needs to change.
To bring youth and depth to the defense, the Chiefs drafted Gillotte, Norman-Lott, and Williams on Day 2 last year. Williams looks the most promising of the three and will probably start next year. Gillotte and Norman-Lott have not proven enough to cement a role in 2026.
Hicks and Conner will likely start next year, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the Chiefs brought in different safeties this spring.
Social media to make you think
Follow Arrowhead Pride on Social Media
- Facebook: Like our page
- Instagram: @ArrowheadPride
- X: Follow @ArrowheadPride
- AP Staff on X: See complete list
- 90.9 The Bridge on X: Follow @909thebridge
