THE Kansas City Chiefs are at a crossroads this offseason and must absolutely nail their moves to stay contenders.

After missing out on the playoffs this season, the Chiefs have extra time to figure out what went wrong.

There are plenty of problems plaguing the Chiefs this offseason.

The team is way over the salary cap as things currently stand, and the current roster wasn’t good enough to get to the playoffs this year.

On top of that, the roster will be getting even worse with key players like Travis Kelce likely departing.

So what do the Chiefs need to do to fix their current slide out of contention?

Before the Chiefs can do anything, they need to sort out their salary cap issues.

Right now, Kansas City is almost $44 million over the 2026 salary cap thanks to some inflated contracts.

Mahomes owns a $78 million cap hit, and defensive lineman Chris Jones owns a $45 million cap hit.

Together, they account for 40 percent of the Chiefs’ salary cap.

Both of those contracts need to be restructured to lower figures to open up some space.

On top of that, the Chiefs need to identify some contracts that can become cap casualties.

Edge rusher Michael Danna is a perfect option, as his $11.1 million cap hit can be cut in favor of a $2.1 million dead cap.

With proper salary cap management, the Chiefs could get back under the threshold so they can spend some money in free agency.

If the Chiefs get their salary cap under control, there are a couple of players who stand out in free agency as good fits.

The first of which is Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts.

Kelce is likely headed towards retirement, but even if he doesn’t, the Chiefs shouldn’t bring him back.

They should move to Pitts, who is 10 years younger than him.

Pitts has gotten better and better in the first five years of his career, and could be a perfect replacement for Kelce if he enters retirement.

He would likely command a contract of around $14.5 million per season.

The Chiefs also need help in the secondary, and a cornerback like Tariq Woolen from the Seattle Seahawks or Roger McCreary from the LA Rams.

Both would command contracts right around $13-$15 million.

It’s hard to predict how many players the Chiefs could sign in free agency, as it won’t be known just how much cap space they can clear up this offseason.

After missing out on the playoffs, the Kansas City Chiefs are picking at No. 9 in the 2026 NFL Draft.

That means they’ll have a good shot at picking a top prospect that is a perfect fit for their team.

Jeremiyah Love is one of the best running back prospects in recent memory, and the Chiefs have struggled with the running game for years.

The Notre Dame running back could immediately solve that problem with the No. 9 pick.

In the second round, the Chiefs could work on strengthening the right side of their offensive line with a tackle like Trevor Goosby out of Texas.

The offensive line continued to struggle this year, and the Chiefs need to make sure they are protecting Mahomes after his ACL surgery.

Pass rush was also weak for the Chiefs in 2025, so using a third-round pick on defensive lineman Lee Hunter out of Texas Tech could help bolster the rush.

It’s going to be a long offseason for the Chiefs, but the right moves can get them right back in contention in the 2026 season.