The 2025 offseason saw the Kansas City Chiefs revamp their roster on multiple fronts. They lost three key contributors immediately Joe Thuney, Tershawn Wharton, and Justin Reid. Important depth pieces like DeAndre Hopkins, Justin Watson, and Derrick Nnnadi also found new homes.
One of the priorities for GM Brett Veach, however, was to retain standout linebacker Nick Bolton. The Chiefs did that by re-signing him to a three-year, $45 million deal before free agency even kicked off.
On Thursday, Bolton revealed the details behind his decision to stay in Kansas City. The 25-year-old defender said that “familiarity” and being around a team he is “comfortable with” has played a big part.
#Chiefs LB Nick Bolton on re-signing before free agency even began: "The familiarity, the scheme, players around me I'm comfortable with and people that believe in you. . . I feel like that was the best decision for me and my family."
— Charles Goldman (@goldmctNFL) March 20, 2025
Nick Bolton Discusses Why He Never Wanted to Leave KC
In terms of annual average salary, Bolton is now the fifth-highest-paid linebacker in the NFL. Considering that he received the 44th-best grade among LBs on Pro Football Focus, Bolton clearly had a lot of reasons to accept the Chiefs’ offer.
Even beyond the salary, however, Bolton didn’t have much of a reason to leave. The talented defender spent three years at Missouri before being selected by the Chiefs. In Kansas City, he made three straight Super Bowls, winning two. He became one of the better linebackers in the league and got himself paid.
Thanks to the continuity with the Chiefs defensive unit and Steve Spagnuolo, it’s hard to imagine Bolton looking better elsewhere.
Plus, the organization clearly made him feel wanted. Veach is notoriously hesitant to give lucrative, long-term deals in contract extension and isn’t shy when it comes to making tough decisions to move on from players. The fact that Bolton was always a priority and they took care of business before he even hit the open market shows how much they value him.
