2025 is finally here and the Kansas City Chiefs have a lot to look forward to in the New Year.
Winning a third straight Super Bowl seems like an achievable goal as the Chiefs enter Week 18 with an AFC-best 15-1 record. Andy Reid & Co. have fought through all of the adversity they’ve faced this season and it’s now the time of the year for all that hard work to pay off.
Not only will the upcoming postseason offer the Chiefs a shot at yet another Lombardi Trophy, but it also marks what’ll likely be the final playoff run for several players. Whether it’s because of an expiring contract or abysmal regular-season performance, several players are likely leaving Kansas City in 2025 for better or worse.
With that in mind, here are five Chiefs who are likely leaving town in the New Year.
1. Nick Bolton, LB
After missing nine games in 2023 due to a wrist injury, Nick Bolton is in the middle of a career year.
The veteran linebacker has excelled at giving headaches to opposing offenses this season. In 16 appearances so far, Bolton has racked up 73 solo tackles while tallying six defended passes, three sacks, one interception, and a forced fumble.
That’s without mentioning how his 65.4 defense and 66.1 coverage grades on Pro Football Focus are among the upper-half marks when it comes to LBs.
Having said that, Bolton’s rookie contract expires this offseason, meaning he’ll hit free agency in March Although the Chiefs would love to retain the ex-Missouri product’s services, re-signing him could be easier said than done considering how they’re projected to have just $21.3 million in cap space with 18 unrestricted free agents to address, per Spotrac.
Bolton is a game-changing linebacker but it’s clear that general manager Brett Veach must work some magic if he wants to retain the former’s services. Other times with more cap space won’t hesitate to line up and throw money at the 24-year-old LB, especially if he’s only scratching the surface of his potential.
2. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR
After a putrid 2023 campaign with the New England Patriots, veteran wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster joined the Chiefs on a one-year contract in the offseason. The ex-USC playmaker previously won a Super Bowl in Kansas City after racking up 933 yards and three TDs with the Chiefs in 2022.
Although Chiefs fans had fond memories of Smith-Schuster from his last time in a KC jersey, the 28-year-old WR has looked far from his old self this season.
The former Pro Bowl receiver has only mustered 17 catches for 227 receiving yards and two TDs in 13 games. Even though that performance is underwhelming on its own, it’s worse given that Smith-Schuster has fewer yards and catches than he did with the Patriots (29 and 260, respectively) despite playing two more games this year.
Outside of his 130-yard performance in Week 5, Smith-Schuster hasn’t done enough to show the Chiefs that he deserves another contract. It’s at the point where Patrick Mahomes hardly looks his way anymore, averaging just 1.1 receptions on 1.7 targets in the last seven games.
If Mahomes doesn’t see any value in targeting Smith-Schuster, the Chiefs like don’t see a legitimate reason to bring him back again. Expect to see the veteran pass-catcher playing in another team’s uniform next fall.
3. Derrick Nnadi, DT
If you’ve been disappointed by Derrick Nnadi’s 2024 performance, chances are that you weren’t the only one.
The seventh-year veteran looks like a shell of his former self more often than not on the field this season. Making all 16 of his appearances in a backup role, Nnadi has generated only three solo tackles without any other positive stats while playing 17% of defensive snaps — a dramatic drop from the 46% he played in 2023.
If that isn’t bad enough, Nnadi has also missed 12.5% of his tackles while only recording three run stops. Speaking of which, the former Florida State defender’s 39.5 run defense grade is the 19th-worst mark out of 135 eligible interior defenders, according to PFF.
Considering how Nnadi has yet to play more than 18 defensive snaps in a game this season, it looks like his time as a Chief is nearing its end. The 28-year-old DT isn’t getting any younger and Kansas City will want to eventually replace him with a more youthful option who can play more frequently.
With an expiring contract serving as the perfect excuse for Veach to cut ties, Chiefs fans should start saying goodbye to Nnadi while they still can.
4. Samaje Perine, RB
Looking to solidify their running back depth this summer, the Chiefs went out to sign RB Samaje Perine to a one-year contract. The move came one day after the 29-year-old veteran was released by the Denver Broncos, allowing Kansas City to improve its backfield by taking a shot at its AFC West rival.
Perine probably didn’t anticipate seeing a lot of action this season, but that quickly changed after Isiah Pacheco fractured his leg just two weeks into the schedule.
Fast forward to Week 18 and Perine has yet to miss a Chiefs game this season. Although the ex-Oklahoma runner hasn’t seen much work on the ground (19 carries for 91 yards and a TD), he’s been a frequent contributor in the passing department with 309 receiving yards and a score on 27 catches.
Unsurprisingly, though, Perine’s opportunities have diminished since Pacheco returned in Week 13. Since then, Perine has only played an average of 16.0 offensive snaps in the last five games (compared to 20.7 from Weeks 3 to 12). He also went from averaging 2.8 targets in five November games to an average of 2.0 in four December appearances, further illustrating his shrinking role.
It’s hard to imagine the Chiefs re-signing Perine in the offseason unless he goes nuclear in the playoffs. Pacheco and fullback Carson Steele are still under contract through 2025 and it’s possible that GM Veach could be interested in bringing Kareem Hunt back after his successful return to the franchise.
Perine is a solid veteran backfield presence, no doubt, but he’s yet to prove to the Chiefs that he’ll be irreplaceable come the spring.
5. Justin Watson, WR
Week 17 marked Justin Watson’s best performance of the 2024 schedule. The ex-2018 fifth-rounder hauled in two catches for a season-high 60 receiving yards in the 29-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, which also included scoring the game-winning touchdown in the first quarter.
Although the performance was encouraging, it likely won’t be good enough to land Watson another contract when he hits free agency in the offseason.
After all, the Week 17 was a rare positive outing for the 29-year-old wideout this season. It was just the third time he exceeded the 30-yard mark in 16 games and also the first time that he made multiple catches since Week 12. That’s without mentioning how he has more games with one or fewer catches (9) than he does with two-plus receptions (7).
At this point in his career, Watson is who he is and likely won’t get any better. He’s only surpassed 400 yards in a season once since 2018 and that probably won’t change now that he’s going to be turning 30 years old in April.
The Chiefs need to overhaul their WR room this season, meaning it’s a great idea to trim the fat like Watson. Although he seems to be liked by the coaching staff and his teammates, he’s an ordinary player who can easily be replaced either via free agency or the NFL draft.
