If one thing is clear, it’s that the Kansas City Chiefs will look different in 2026-27. Given their grueling 6-11 campaign that just ended, that’s a good thing.
The organization is already shifting on the coaching front, with several Andy Reid staff members being swapped out. In the front office ranks, a general manager Brett Veach assistant has buzz with another team. On the player side of things, free agency figures to present avenues for improvement.
Could Kansas City make the most of someone else’s failure? That door seems to be opening in due time thanks to an NFC club.
49ers & Brandon Aiyuk Preparing for Presumed Offseason Split
A significant development came out of the San Francisco 49ers‘ end-of-season press conference. General manager John Lynch admitted that “it’s safe to say” star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has “played his last snap with the Niners.” This might end a months-long back-and-forth saga between team and player.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said the spiraling situation is something he’s never seen in over two decades of coaching. With the line of communication between Aiyuk and San Francisco broken, Lynch doesn’t believe there’s much of a choice for either side now.
“It’s unfortunate,” Lynch said, via ESPN. “A situation that just went awry. And I will look long and hard at what could have been done differently, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out. And I think that this was a case where that happened.”
Ironically, the last time Aiyuk played was in Week 7 of the 2024 campaign against the Chiefs. He suffered a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus in that game, putting him on the shelf. He never returned to the lineup, sparking tension between himself and the organization. As of December, he was on the reserve/left team list, ending his 2025-26 season before it even truly began.
Not counting void years, Aiyuk still has three seasons left on his lucrative contract. He carries a $14.6 million cap hit in 2026 before that number skyrockets to $41.4M in 2027 and $43.3M in 2028. With that said, the 49ers voided approximately $27M in 2026 guarantees, putting them in position to be on the books for a near-$30M dead cap hit if he’s designated a pre-June 1 release.
Barring something unforeseen, a trade seems highly unlikely. If San Fran takes its lumps regarding Aiyuk’s deal, does he make sense for the Chiefs?
Could Aiyuk Help Kansas City’s Wide Receiver Room in 2026-27?
The answer is complicated. The former first-round pick is undoubtedly talented, and he’ll turn just 28 years old this offseason. Given his track record of success, he’d be an intriguing pickup for just about any team. A high-end potential outcome is tremendous, although a low-end one would give a team an unnecessary headache.
In Aiyuk’s last healthy season, he was a second team All-Pro. He hauled in 75 passes for a career-high 1,342 yards and 7 touchdowns. He had a personal-best 70.5% success rate with 17.9 yards per reception. That, paired with a minuscule 1.9% drop mark, reflected dominance.
Advanced stats loved Aiyuk’s production, too. According to SumerSports, among all wideouts with 100+ routes in 2023, his 3.02 yards per route run ranked third. In that same group, his 114.38 total EPA slotted in at sixth overall. That’s despite his 24.03% target share being 19th.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that Aiyuk is the same player. Even on the right side of 30, he’s on the wrong side of a complicated knee injury. There’s also no on-field proof of how he bounced back from it. Additionally, the friction he caused with the 49ers doesn’t exactly bode well for how he may adjust with another franchise.
The Chiefs have a solid one-two punch of Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy at receiver. A slightly diminished version of Aiyuk could be a cherry on top, especially if the price is right. For a team needing more proven solutions, it’s a risk.
A risk that might be worth it, though, if the expected release does happen and either side showed interest.
Could Chiefs Capitalize on ‘Unfortunate’ Situation With All-Pro WR?