The Kansas City Chiefs got crushed by the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 59 on Sunday for their first playoff loss in more than three years. The Chiefs were exposed in multiple areas over the course of the game, but the Eagles’ pass rush made all the difference.

Philadelphia pressured Patrick Mahomes on 38% of his drop backs and sacked him six times while never letting the Chiefs’ signal caller settle into a rhythm in the pocket. Mahomes threw a pair of interceptions in the first half, and Cooper DeJean returned one of them for a touchdown to open the floodgates for the blowout.

Now, the Chiefs must dive headfirst into a tricky offseason where a lot of key players will be hitting free agency. If they want to get back to the Super Bowl and take home championship number four of the Mahomes-Andy Reid era, the Chiefs must bring some of these pieces back as they retool the roster.

Here are the top three free agents that the Chiefs absolutely must re-sign this offseason.

S Justin Reid

For all of the Chiefs that didn’t show up to play on Sunday night, Reid did his best to pick up the slack. The veteran safety was all over the field when the Eagles had the ball and was one of the primary reasons why the game didn’t get out of hand much quicker than it could have.

Reid made a number of critical tackles in the open field in the Super Bowl, which is something that he has become extremely good at over the years. He fits the run extremely well, and that skill was on full display on Sunday in a game where the Chiefs held the Eagles’ explosive running game in check. Reid’s ability to fit the run from the safety position is a big reason why defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is able to play with so many exotic looks without getting gashed on the ground.

Reid is a veteran of Spagnuolo’s scheme as well and has become one of the leaders of that unit during his time in Kansas City. Continuity has been a big reason why that unit has been able to maintain excellence over the last few years, so bringing back Reid is absolutely crucial for the Chiefs heading into next season.

RG Trey Smith

Bringing back Smith is the most unlikely of these three, but the Chiefs would be wise to not leave another hole on their offensive line heading into the offseason after that group got destroyed for four quarters in the Super Bowl.

Smith has morphed into one of the best guards in the NFL since being drafted by the Chiefs in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He is a road grater in the run game who can maneuver most defensive tackles and has a strong anchor to hold up in pass protection on the interior. As a result, Smith is likely to command market-setting money on the open market this spring.

The Chiefs already enter this offseason with a glaring hole at left tackle after left guard Joe Thuney had to kick outside to put a Band-Aid on that issue, but he had a rough time in the Super Bowl. If Smith leaves, the Chiefs would also have to fill a massive gap at right guard, but bringing back the Tennessee product is the easiest way to avoid that problem.

LB Nick Bolton

Good linebacker play is hard to come by in the NFL nowadays, but Nick Bolton is one of the league’s best. The former Missouri star is a freak athlete with a physical nature at linebacker and allows the Chiefs to play with the amount of freedom and team speed that they do on that side of the ball. Bolton is constantly flying downhill, making plays and, like Reid, is an elite open field tackler.

The Chiefs already lost one key linebacker from this run when Willie Gay went to New Orleans last offseason. The Chiefs replaced Gay with Drue Tranquill, who had a spectacular Super Bowl performance, but they cannot afford to lose Bolton on top of that.

Bolton will hit the open market during a cycle that has a very strong crop of linebackers, including Eagles star Zack Baun and Ernest Jones of the Seattle Seahawks, so it’s unclear how much money the Chiefs will need to put up to keep him. Whatever that figure ends up being, the Chiefs would be wise to pay it if they want to keep this championship defense in tact.