The Kansas City Chiefs made a strong push for one of the top right tackles on the market on day one of NFL free agency, according to the latest news and rumors. Unfortunately, general manager Brett Veach came up short in luring this offensive lineman away from his franchise.
“I’m told [the New York] Giants held off pushes from [the] Chiefs and [Cleveland] Browns to keep [Jermaine] Eluemunor here, per sources,” NorthJersey.com Giants beat reporter and insider Art Stapleton relayed on March 9, following Eluemunor’s decision to re-sign with the Giants.
In a follow-up post with a corresponding article on the news, Stapleton wrote that “Eluemunor spurns free agency” in agreeing to his new contract with New York.
Eluemunor has started 62 games over the last four years and is one of the most underrated RTs in the NFL.
Per Stapleton and NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Eluemunor received and accepted a three-year, $39 million extension on March 9. In the announcement, Schultz noted that the veteran right tackle “has started 62 games over the last four years and is one of the most underrated RTs in the NFL.”
Chiefs Still Searching for Right Tackle Help After Jawaan Taylor Cut News
GettyThe Kansas City Chiefs pursued New York Giants right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor in NFL free agency, per reports.
The Chiefs elected to move on from starting right tackle Jawaan Taylor in 2026. The former free agent acquisition’s cap hit was just too high, and KC needed to free up space this spring ahead of NFL free agency.
Releasing Taylor helped significantly with that goal, shedding $20 million in cap space. But it is a bit surprising that Kansas City was willing to use some of that newfound financial space on a right tackle with a similar track record.
To be clear, Eluemunor wasn’t as expensive as Taylor had been in 2023. He ended up signing for just $13 million per year, which only ranks 13th for all NFL right tackles, according to Over the Cap. Taylor’s $20 million per year had ranked sixth for the position before his release.
That said, Eluemunor has outperformed Taylor in recent years, but not by much.
Per Pro Football Focus, Taylor had a “pass blocking efficiency” of 97.6 out of 100 in 2025. Eluemunor was better, with a 98.0 as a pass protector.
“Pass blocking efficiency” measures “pressure allowed on a per-snap basis with weighting toward sacks allowed,” per PFF. But it’s not the only area in which Eluemunor was superior.
The Giants’ right tackle had a better run-blocking grade last year. He also finished with 1 fewer charged quarterback pressure despite appearing in fewer snaps.
Eluemunor did finish 2025 with 1 more penalty flag than Taylor, but 2023 through 2024 was a far different story. Eluemunor is also the more versatile player and can shift inside to guard or start at left tackle.
Chiefs Have Jaylon Moore Slotted in at Right Tackle Entering NFL Free Agency
The Eluemunor pursuit makes sense from a price standpoint and a need standpoint, but pursuing him totally disregards Jaylon Moore and the money Kansas City paid him in 2025.
Moore seemed to think he was being brought in to start at left tackle last season. Then the Chiefs spent a first-round pick on Josh Simmons, and that changed everything.
Due to various availability issues, Moore ended up starting a decent amount anyway, but KC doesn’t seem all that confident in the veteran swing tackle now.
Veach paid him $15 million per year a season ago, and yet he wasn’t willing to go that high for Eluemunor. That’s odd, considering the latter has a much better resume.
Perhaps the Chiefs realized the Moore signing was an overpay, and now they’re looking for an insurance policy at the position. It’s a fair concern, based on how the 2025 campaign derailed.
There is one problem, however. With Eluemunor and several others off the board in NFL free agency, the Chiefs are running out of veteran options.
That means they may have to allocate more premium draft capital toward offensive tackle once again.
Chiefs Made Surprise Push for $39 Million Offensive Tackle: Report