The Kansas City Chiefs’ front office is staring down the barrel of a roster crisis that could see nearly two dozen players walk out the door. An offseason of reckoning has arrived in Kansas City. While the coaching staff is settled, a brutal salary cap crunch and a staggering list of free agents are putting Patrick Mahomes and the front office on a collision course.

The 2025 season marked the first time the Chiefs couldn’t reach the playoffs since 2014. The collapse was partly due to injuries plaguing the locker room, including Patrick Mahomes’ season-ending ACL injury. They slightly improved defensively, but it wasn’t enough to cover up their offensive woes. So, they would like to take a balanced approach while assessing their roster. Currently, the team has 23 unrestricted free agents and not nearly enough cap space to keep everyone.

Notable offensive players include tight end Travis Kelce, running back Kareem Hunt, and wide receiver Tyquan Thornton. Kelce remains the biggest question mark, with retirement a real possibility. But even if he returns, the Chiefs would need to restructure his contract to make it work under the cap. 

The real tension in the Chiefs’ 2026 free-agent class is perhaps value spikes. Bryan Cook’s projected market value, jumping to over $14 million, stands out as the most significant. Leo Chenal’s rise into the mid-$4 million range also strengthens his case. Meanwhile, names like Marquise Brown and Kareem Hunt see their values flatten, suggesting replaceability.

Re-signing players like Leo Chenal, Jaylen Watson, and Tershawn Wharton would help keep the momentum. Chenal recorded 58 total tackles, two sacks, and one interception in 2025, while Watson and Wharton provided depth. Here’s a list of unrestricted free agents from Kansas City this offseason, per Spotrac:

With free agency opening in March, the front office must decide who fits their vision for the 2026 season. Currently, the Chiefs have six draft picks and a projection of $62.3 million in cap space. However, a new NFL update will translate into a different amount.

As the Chiefs focus on their next roster moves, the latest NFL update may influence them.

The NFL update puts Patrick Mahomes’ team in a tough spot

The NFL recently announced that the 2026 salary cap will likely land between $301.2 million and $305.7 million. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, this would mark an increase from this season’s $279.2 million cap, nearly a $100 million rise compared to the $208.2 million limit back in 2022.

While the new projection offers more breathing room to multiple NFL franchises, the Chiefs won’t get to enjoy it. Recently, their projected cap deficit decreased by $6-10 million from $62.5 million to around $57 million. But with the new update, this amount would still be in the red, meaning the Chiefs must shed significant salary to become cap-compliant.

That difference could weigh on their decision, while retaining key free agents or extending contracts of deserving young players. According to Over the Cap, Kansas City has the worst cap outlook in the league, based on earlier projections that assumed a lower cap figure.

Still, many insiders believe that a few contract alterations and some tough decisions on free agents could bring the Chiefs under the limit.

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Many think they will handle it by the start of the new league year on March 11. When the Chiefs won the Super Bowl in 2020, the league cap was $188.2 million. Just seven years later, the 2026 cap has jumped by about half. So, the rising cap doesn’t fix everything. But it gives Patrick Mahomes’ team a sense of relief for the coming months.