Another player in the Chiefs’ secondary is about to leave Kansas City.
The Bengals are expecting to sign former Chiefs safety Bryan Cook, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The team and Cook’s agents have agreed on a three-year, $40.25 million deal.
Cook has started all 17 games for the Chiefs each of the last two seasons. His departure comes after two Chiefs cornerbacks, Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, both landed with the Rams. The Chiefs’ secondary will look a lot different in 2026.
The Bengals desperately needed to bolster their defense, and with Cook they think they’ve done it.
Chiefs Clips
The Chiefs are adding a big man to their defense.
According to multiple reports, Kansas City has agreed to a three-year deal with nose tackle Khyiris Tonga.
The initial reporting indicates Tonga’s contract is worth $21 million with $14 million guaranteed.
Tonga, 29, was originally a Bears seventh-round pick in the 2021 draft. But he’s bounced around a bit, spending time with the Falcons, Vikings, and Cardinals before landing with the Patriots last March.
He appeared in 14 games with eight starts for New England in 2025, recording 24 total tackles with two tackles for loss, two QB hits, and a pair of passes defensed.
Tonga also showed some positional flexibility, playing 14 offensive snaps as a fullback for New England, particularly on plates near the goal line.
With the way Kansas City crafts unique plays near the end zone, Tonga could be a factor offensively for the Chiefs as well.
The Rams are doubling down on cornerbacks from the Chiefs as they reshape their defense for the 2026 season.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Jaylen Watson has agreed to terms with the Rams. It is a three-year deal in Los Angeles for Watson.
NFL Media reports that the deal is worth $51 million with $34 million in guaranteed money.
The Rams agreed to trade for Trent McDuffie last week, so the two corners will remain teammates in new uniforms.
Watson was the No. 8 player on PFT’s list of this year’s top free agents. The 2022 seventh-round pick played 53 regular season games and started 29 times over his four seasons in Kansas City. He had 178 tackles, four sacks, three interceptions, and 24 passes defensed while picking up a pair of Super Bowl rings with the Chiefs.
From Larry Brown to Desmond Howard to Dexter Jackson to Kenneth Walker III.
There are now four Super Bowl MVPs who left weeks later in free agency.
Walker, per multiple reports, has agreed to terms with the Chiefs.
The initial wave of reports did not include financial information. Which is unusual. And which will create the impression that the agents who leaked the information didn’t feel compelled to brag about the value of the deal.
The Seahawks opted not to apply the franchise or transition tag to Walker, at $14.293 million. The top of the market exceeds $20 million per year.
This feels like one of those deals that will require a full breakdown of all relevant terms.
Either way, Walker will be the next starting running back in Kansas City. And the next question will be whether they use him as an every-down workhorse, and whether they’ll be making a renewed commitment to the run — especially as quarterback Patrick Mahomes recovers from a torn ACL and may be restricting his lateral, hair-on-fire scrambling to look for open receivers.
Travis Kelce will not be wearing a different uniform in 2026.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Kelce is expected to return to the Chiefs for a 14th season.
Kelce, 36, was set to become a free agent. But his representation has conveyed to teams that could have pursued him that he’s going back to Kansas City.
The Chiefs’ all-time leader in receptions (1,080), receiving yards (13,002), and touchdowns (82), Kelce started all 17 games in 2025. He finished the year with 76 receptions for 851 yards with five touchdowns.
Kelce was also a Pro Bowler for the 11th consecutive season.
While terms of Kelce’s deal have not yet been disclosed, the tight end will be on the field for Kansas City in 2026 after his high-profile wedding to pop star Taylor Swift this summer.
As noted this afternoon, tight end Travis Kelce becomes a free agent tomorrow. Against that basic background are conflicting reports as to whether he’ll possibly play for a team other than the Chiefs.
Earlier tonight, The Athletic reported that Kelce is expected to return for a 14th NFL season, but that it’s not a “sure thing” he’ll re-sign with the Chiefs. Thereafter, Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press pointed out his Scouting Combine-week report that, if Kelce plays, he’ll play only for the Chiefs, and won’t test the market.
Per The Athletic, Kelce’s agents are expected to talk to multiple teams once the negotiating period opens.
The truth could be as simple as this — the Chiefs’ current offer falls below Kelce’s expectations. If it doesn’t improve, Kelce could (in theory) see what else is out there. For now, the notion that his agents will listen to other teams could be nothing more than an effort to shake more cash from the Kansas City tree.
Kelce’s availability creates a rare situation in which a team’s business interests could override its football interests. The coaches and the scouting staff may put one value on Kelce’s perceived role and contributions; the sales and marketing folks may feel very differently about what it’s worth to have Kelce in the fold.
Again, he’s a superstar. Taylor Swift will attend one or more home games, presumably. The Swifties will buy his new jersey in droves. It’s a moneymaker for a business that is, no matter what they say publicly, is aimed at making as much money as possible.
It may take a big offer from a new team to get the most out of the Chiefs, with Kelce potentially taking much less than he could get elsewhere to stay with the only NFL franchise he’s ever known. In the end, however, he wouldn’t be the first player a team lowballs based on his perceived unwillingness to leave, prompting him to look around and, quite possibly, to take a much better offer from someone else.
After agreeing to trade for Trent McDuffie, the Rams have now reached an agreement on a contract extension with the cornerback.
McDuffie has agreed to a four-year, $124 million extension that includes $100 million guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The initial reported numbers indicate the new deal will make McDuffie the highest-paid cornerback in the league with an average annual value of $31 million in new money.
McDuffie, 25, spent his first four seasons with the Chiefs, winning a pair of Super Bowls with the club. He was an AP first-team All-Pro honoree in 2023.
McDuffie has recorded 34 passes defensed, eight forced fumbles, 5.5 sacks, and three interceptions in his career.
The trade to send him from the Chiefs to the Rams will become official this week with the start of the new league year.
Cornerback Trent McDuffie is set to officially join the Rams in a trade with the Chiefs this week and he could also have a new contract soon.
NFL Media reports that McDuffie and the Rams have made “significant progress” toward a long-term extension that would make him the league’s highest-paid cornerback. There is hope that the deal will be done in the near future.
Sauce Gardner of the Colts is currently at the top of the cornerback pay chart with an average annual salary of $30.1 million per year.
McDuffie is currently in the fifth year of his rookie deal and set to make $13.632 million for the 2026 season.
The Rams agreed to trade the 29th overall pick in this year’s draft along with 2026 fifth- and sixth-round picks and a 2027 third-round pick to Kansas City for McDuffie. The trade can become official at the start of the new league year on Wednesday.
The first question for veteran tight end Travis Kelce is whether he’ll play in 2026. Implicit in that question is whether he’ll play for the Chiefs.
Lost in the will-he-or-won’t-he is the reality that his contract expires this week. He’s a free agent, able to freely negotiate with other teams as of Monday.
There has been no indication that another team plans to aggressively pursue him once the negotiating window opens at noon ET on March 9. But any team can.
It’s impossible to imagine Kelce wearing a different uniform. He has played for the Chiefs continuously, in a career that began in 2013. His career went to the next level once Patrick Mahomes became the starting quarterback in 2018, sparking five Super Bowl appearances and three championships.
Still, money talks. If the Chiefs don’t want to pay very much for another season and another team shows up with a significant offer, will that get Kelce’s attention? Matt Nagy, who has worked for the Chiefs throughout Kelce’s career, is now the offensive coordinator of the Giants. Although Kelce’s post-football career hardly needs a New York City bump, it couldn’t hurt to finish up in the nation’s top market with a team that is trying to build something positive.
How about his hometown Browns? He could see that as an attractive way to close out his career, if he thinks the Chiefs aren’t realistically in the Super Bowl window for 2026.
The Chiefs missed the postseason last year. Are they closer to being a non-playoff team than they are to being a Super Bowl champion? Kelce could be making a clear-eyed, objective assessment of that question before putting pen to paper.
It all comes down to what Kelce wants to do. The reality is that, as of Monday, he can do whatever he wants — including agreeing to terms with a different team. Until he says he’s playing for the Chiefs, there’s a non-zero chance he’ll be playing for someone else.
Here’s something to remember: Kelce is a superstar who transcends the gridiron. Wherever he plays, he also brings with him the Taylor Swift factor.
Regardless of how he advances the team’s on-field prospect, Kelce would be GREAT for business. And football is above all else a business. Why wouldn’t any football business that wants to maximum earnings consider trying to go into business with Travis Kelce?
The Chiefs are bringing long snapper James Winchester back for the 2026 season.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that they have agreed on a one-year deal with Winchester. The deal calls for Winchester to make $1.75 million.
Winchester was the highest-paid long snapper during the 2025 season and he remains at the top of the list with this deal.
Winchester has played in all 181 regular season games and 25 playoff games that the Chiefs have played since he joined the team in 2015. Winchester, who has 17 career tackles, is tied for 11th in franchise history in regular season games played.
