The Kansas City Chiefs are turning their attention towards the offseason after coming up short in Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles. In fact, star cornerback Jaylen Watson appears to already be recruiting one of his former teammates, Juan Thornhill, after he was released by the Cleveland Browns on Monday.
Despite playing only six regular season games, Watson emerged as a key piece of the Chiefs secondary, earning one of their starting cornerback jobs after L’Jarius Sneed was traded to the Tennessee Titans. Even though he made a triumphant return from injury in the postseason, Watson’s presence wasn’t enough for KC beat Philadelphia.
While the Chiefs are just beginning their offseason work, some teams have been planning for well over a month now. One such team is the Browns, who informed Thornhill, who spent the first three seasons of his career with the Chiefs, that he was being released.
“The Browns are releasing veteran S Juan Thornhill, sources say. The team and Thornhill’s camp spoke in recent days and the decision was made to part ways now, giving Thornhill a few weeks before free agency to find his next home. Thornhill had one year at $7m left on his deal,” Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported.
Given his ties to Kansas City, fans immediately wondered if a reunion between the two sides could be in the cards. Watson added fuel to those flames shortly after the news broke, sending a two-word message to Thornhill through a post on his Instagram story.
“Wassup brudda,” Watson said alongside a picture of one of Thornhill’s Chiefs jerseys that he signed and gave to the young cornerback during their one season together in 2022.
#Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson via Instagram Stories. pic.twitter.com/dvia82mBET
— Chiefs Blitz (@ChiefsBlitz) February 24, 2025
In 11 games last season, Thornhill racked up 49 tackles, one of which went for a loss, and three passes defended. After getting carved up by Hurts and the Eagles in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs could be in the market for some more help in their secondary, which means that a reunion with Thornhill could be on the table if the price is right.
