After missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2014 season, the Kansas City Chiefs are entering uncharted waters in the Patrick Mahomes era.
The Chiefs are used to being penciled in as one of the two teams in the Super Bowl, not thinking about who they’re going to be taking with a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft. As odd as this feeling is for everyone in Chiefs Kingdom, it’s a great chance for the team to reset in a variety of ways. It can also be a necessary jolt for a team that has had a target on its back for most of the last decade.
As long as everyone waited for the Chiefs’ downfall, it now feels like the masses are expecting this team to be on the comeback trail in no time. And after their worst season in over a decade, you can’t sleep on the Chiefs pulling off something wild in 2026.
Chiefs can get dynasty back on track in 2026, but they’ll need to do something big
Our friends over at FanSided.com recently put out a post highlighting the teams that missed the playoffs in 2025 who are most likely to bounce back in 2026. The Chiefs ranked second on that list, just behind the Detroit Lions.
Here’s what they had to say:
“There will be big changes to the roster this offseason. Travis Kelce is likely going to say goodbye to the sport and hello to a billionaire lifestyle. We think they make drastic changes to the wide receiver room after keeping that together with Scotch tape. They might even move Rashee Rice and focus on building around Xavier Worthy. The defense has pieces all over the place, including Chris Jones and Trent McDuffie. They have big draft wins in Josh Simmons, Ashton Gillotte, and Nohl Williams.
The foundation of a dynasty is still in place. The defense is great. Andy Reid is still amazing. There is so much to love about the Chiefs, and they will get Mahomes back next season at some point. This is still a scary team in the AFC.”
– FanSided.com
The Chiefs are entering the 2026 offseason dead last in the cap space department. They’re currently projected at more than $49 million in the red, according to Spotrac. So how are they going to “pull off something wild” in the offseason?
Once they get cap compliant, the Chiefs are going to have to pull off a big-time trade. Luckily for them, this should be an offseason where teams are ready to wheel and deal. What if the Chiefs can address their receiver situation by trading for one of Jaylen Waddle, AJ Brown, or Brandon Aiyuk? There is risk involved with any of those guys, but it really feels like a threat at the receiver position is one of the big pieces this team has been missing.
There are a lot of factors going against the Chiefs in the 2026 offseason, but they can’t waste any years of the Patrick Mahomes era. General manager Brett Veach has to stay aggressive and figure out how to make these types of impact moves while also doing the necessary gymnastics to stay under the salary cap.
Given the way this past season ended, I expect nothing less from the Chiefs to get back on track as quickly as possible.
