Maybe it’s just because my wife — and by extension, our 15-month-old son — is a Chiefs mega fan that I notice this so often, but it feels like Kansas City just loves to look around the free agent landscape and say “huh, that wide receiver played for us once, let’s get him to play for us again.”

If that trend continues, who are some now-former Chiefs who might one day be future Chiefs again? Here are three potential options.

Mecole Hardman

When I think about former Chiefs who left then came back, my mind immediately goes to Mecole Hardman, so what’s to say he won’t do it again?

Hardman, a 2019 second round pick by KC, originally left in 2023 to join the Jets, but his time in New York lasted just five games before Hardman was traded back to Kansas City. He signed a one-year deal to stay with KC for the 2024 season, but left this offseason for the Packers.

But here’s the thing about joining the Packers: Green Bay doesn’t need receivers. Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed are a solid starting trio, so Hardman’s offensive contributions will be minimal. Mostly, he’ll be in Green Bay to return kicks.

And that’s fine! Hardman’s special team contributions will help the Packers out in 2025, but he’s unlikely to find a long-term home with the Packers, and when he hits free agency again next offseason, the Chiefs will probably be willing to give him another shot.

Carson Wentz

During the Patrick Mahomes era, the Chiefs have largely opted for journeyman backup quarterbacks. From Chad Henne to Blaine Gabbert to Carson Wentz last season, the team seems invested in making sure that if Mahomes goes down, there’s an experienced backup ready to go behind him.

Wentz remains unsigned right now, so there’s a chance he never even becomes a former Chief and just ends up back in KC, but it seems more likely that he goes somewhere like Minnesota or Pittsburgh, where he can be a little closer to playing action than in KC. To add to that, the Chiefs have Gardner Minshew as their backup now, so Wentz doesn’t really have a place on this roster.

But come 2026, Minshew will be a free agent, and the Chiefs will once again need a backup quarterback behind Mahomes. Wentz knows the system and a year further into his career, might be even more willing to just accept that he’s going to spend the rest of his career as a backup.

Justin Watson

Justin Watson has been the ultimate example of a guy who’s just kind of there. He’s not really doing much on the football field, but he’s also not doing nothing, as he caught six touchdowns over his three seasons in KC.

He’s a bit of a limited player, someone who is at his best when he can just go deep and wait for Mahomes to find him.

Watson signed in Houston this offseason, where he’ll provide depth for Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud. Watson’s likely battling for the No. 4 receiver job, but that could change after the NFL Draft. In fact, there’s really no guarantee that Watson even makes the final roster in Houston.

He seems like the perfect kind of player to trickle his way back to Arrowhead at some point. Watson’s not the kind of player who demands targets. He seems comfortable playing the role Kansas City had asked him to play, and even his move to Houston supports that, as at best he’d just be Stroud’s version of … well, of Justin Watson.

With that in mind, Watson is probably the most likely former Chief to find himself back in KC at some point over the next couple of seasons. He’d be valuable depth for this Kansas City receiving unit.