Now that Super Bowl LX is in the books, the Kansas City Chiefs face the daunting task of returning to the big game one year from now. It won’t be easy. It’ll cost some bucks and create difficult roster decisions, but the road to redemption starts now.
With their 29-13 win, the Seattle Seahawks are Super Bowl champions. They dominated the New England Patriots and showed that, without a serious challenger, the NFC has won back-to-back Super Bowls.
The Kansas City Chiefs started that trend, but they can end it in Super Bowl LXI with the return of Patrick Mahomes. Any talk about winning another Super Bowl begins and ends with Patrick Mahomes. If he’s healthy, based on what we saw in the AFC in 2025, he remains the best quarterback in the conference.
To date, we know very little about his recovery from double knee surgery, but he was seen last week walking without crutches, which tells me he’s made significant progress. Assuming he might be available for training camp, that would put his timeline on pace to play in the season opener, likely in Seattle on NFL opening night.
Reports over the weekend have suggested, and Chiefs Blitz can confirm, that future Hall of Fame Tight End Travis Kelce is likely to return for one final NFL season. With a summer wedding planned with fiancé Taylor Swift, that shouldn’t hinder his attendance at training camp.
On the business side, General Manager Brett Veach has to trim some fat from the salary cap. With a projected cap over $300 million, the Chiefs are currently over the cap by 50 million or more. They can easily get to ground zero if they restructure Patrick Mahomes’ deal and cut Jawaan Taylor.
Still, they have other ways to get cash because this team needs to spend money in free agency. They have roster decisions to make regarding Drue Tranquill, Mike Danna, and Trent McDuffie.
The Chiefs’ best cornerback has been mentioned in trade talks, and the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Bucs have been linked to McDuffie. If a deal is made, it’ll likely be announced near the NFL combine.
Kansas City has two off-season goals. First, they need a running back. If you watched the Super Bowl, you know that without a change of direction back, your offense can’t survive the new standard of defense in the NFL.
On the downside, the Chiefs need to rebuild their defensive line. Chris Jones isn’t a spring chicken, and George Karlaftis was a bust after signing his new long-term deal. The Seahawks brought the doom against the Patriots because they primarily rushed four and sent sellout blitzes to rattle Drake Maye.
Those are the kind of athletes the Chiefs need but don’t currently possess. Omarr Norman-Lott could be ready by opening day, and Ashton Gillotte showed signs he could replace Danna in the lineup.
To address those issues, Veach will need to spend in free agency. They are already linked to New York Jets running back Breece Hall and appear set to add defensive line help.
The draft could solve both woes, but it’s risky to put that much pressure on college players making their NFL debuts. It worked last season for the Chiefs with Left Tackle Josh Simmons, but he was NFL-ready.
I don’t envy the Chiefs’ challenges ahead. They already showed signs of change with the addition of Eric Bieniemy as their NEW paper OC and Wide Receiver Coach Chad O’Shea.
Although Andy Reid remains in charge, any tweaks or input for the offense will require his approval.
In summary, the quest to be a dominant NFL team again began this morning. The uncertainty ahead should give Chiefs fans some angst, as we don’t know whether the Dynasty took a one-year pause or snapped in half.
Only an aggressive and calculated roster rebuild can get Kansas City back to the Super Bowl.
That work begins NOW!
