For better or worse, the 2026-27 Kansas City Chiefs roster will look different. Last season’s AFC champions didn’t come remotely close to earning a repeat opportunity this year, putting them in position for a critical offseason.
In order to regain their footing, Kansas City must pull the right levers over the next few months. That’s infinitely easier said than done, especially with limited resources available.
It’s also a challenge when several key players are set to walk out the door. On the defensive side of the ball, one of them appears destined to force a shake-up in the secondary.
Insider Issues Less-Than-Stellar News on Jaylen Watson’s Free Agency
In ESPN’s offseason guide for all 32 teams, much was made of the Chiefs’ free agent class. Insider Dan Graziano hints at cornerback Jaylen Watson potentially making the most of his upcoming free agency stint.
“The Chiefs drafted four defensive backs in 2022,” Graziano wrote. “Three of them (Watson, cornerback Joshua Williams and safety Bryan Cook) are free agents, while cornerback Trent McDuffie is extension-eligible ahead of his fifth-year option season. I put Watson here as an example, because the Chiefs — who have a history of letting cornerbacks leave in free agency and replacing them with draft picks — need to decide who stays in their secondary. They could prioritize the McDuffie extension and just use a ton of picks on DBs again.”
Watson, a seventh-round pick back in 2022, just set career-highs with 63 tackles and 2 interceptions in 15 regular-season starts. He also surrendered just a 79.0 passer rating in coverage, finishing just a tad worse than 2024’s 75.4 mark. He was Pro Football Focus‘ 13th-graded overall corner on the year, including a No. 6 ranking in run defense.
Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing in at just under 200 pounds, Watson is built to thrive in Kansas City. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo values lengthy, physical cornerbacks who can play press-man coverage and crash downhill in run support.
Losing him would be a tough blow to a secondary that isn’t exactly star-studded aside from Trent McDuffie.
Can Chiefs Afford to Make a Run at Re-Signing Watson?
Watson is a natural free agent — no restrictions on his contract whatsoever. Given his play over the last couple of years, there very well could be a minor bidding war for his services.
Spotrac’s calculated market value pinpoints Watson as a $12.5 million player annually. A three-year, $37.4M contract is their current projection for him. Over The Cap, on the other hand, raises the bar to $15.1M per year. That’d be a hefty price to pay for a team that’s already behind the proverbial eight ball when it comes to finances.
Spotrac has the Chiefs $55.5M in the hole when it comes to top-51 players cap space, dead last in the sport. Their $358.8M in total cap allocations ranks fourth. OTC has them at -$62.4M in available room with a similar total liability of over $358M. There are mechanisms that can easily create more room, such as extensions and restructures. Cutting dead weight of underperforming deals is another avenue to achieve some level of flexibility.
Short of trading McDuffie and stockpiling picks, though, not many worlds exist where Watson returns on a lucrative contract. McDuffie is far and away the team’s best cornerback (and likely its best defender). He’ll command something at or close to the top of the market for his position. Should he challenge for $25M or more on a per-year basis, that doesn’t leave room for another high-paid defensive back.
Watson isn’t the only Chiefs defender who falls under this same umbrella. Safety Bryan Cook, another 2022 NFL Draft classmate, could net a multi-year deal elsewhere. It’s a balancing act general manager Brett Veach must execute with near-precision.
On social media, Watson has already entertained the possibility of this being it for him in Kansas City. Graziano’s update isn’t doing much to change outlooks.
Insider Drops Update on Chiefs Potentially Losing Key Free Agent