The Kansas City Chiefs had a very productive off-season, and on Thursday, they balanced out their defense by bringing back one of their best defenders.
Last season, Kansas City Chiefs Defensive End Charles Omenihu returned from a torn ACL to help his team reach their third consecutive Super Bowl. However, the results of that game were terrible. Charles, a pending free agent, always kept the Chiefs in present terms when discussing his future after that bitter loss.
In true to his word fashion, he agreed to a one-year deal with the Chiefs that could pay him as much as $7M this season. Outside of George Karlaftis, Omenihu is the team’s second-best pass rusher. When he, Karlaftis, and Chris Jones are on the field, generally, good things happen for the defense.
Omenihu has never played an entire season with the Chiefs. After he signed as a free agent in 2023, he was suspended for six games due to an off-the-field issue. When he returned, he played some of the best football of his career.
However, he was injured in the AFC Title game against the Baltimore Ravens after making a strike sack of Lamar Jackson. He didn’t get a chance to play against his old team, the San Francisco 49ers, in Super Bowl LVII, but he did celebrate with his team.
During this past off-season, he was diligent in his rehab and even made a YouTube show called The Return that showed his progress.
When the Chiefs signed Brandon Tillery in free agency, some thought Charles would not be back, but General Manager Brett Veach assured Omenihu that was not the case, and thus, the two sides agreed to another year in Kansas City.
If Omenihu has a good season, he could be in line for a bigger payday with the Chiefs in 2026 and beyond. He will turn 28 in August, and he should be far removed from his ACL injury to have a monster season for the Chiefs in 2025.
