Recently, a former NFL general manager said that the window was closed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
At least one former NFL general manager is predicting that the Kansas City Chiefs\u2019 AFC dominance is coming to an end. Former Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon recently said as much on CBS Sports.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe window for this Chiefs team is closing,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n He cites reasons such as defensive tackle Chris Jones getting older and coming off of injury, and Travis Kelce rounding out the back nine of his career to justify his claim.<\/p>\n And while he gives Chiefs Andy Reid his due by complimenting the old ball coach on his ability to evolve his offense based on the players he has, Carthon does little else to support his thought.<\/p>\n When he was asked what team is best positioned to usurp the reigning AFC champs, he provided the same tired predictions we hear year after year \u2014 which is that this will be the season in which the Buffalo Bills or the Baltimore Ravens ascend to the throne as the top dogs in Lamar Hunt\u2019s conference.<\/p>\n Listen, I get it.<\/p>\n Like Harvey Dent said in The Dark Knight, \u201cYou either die the hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.\u201d<\/p>\n And that\u2019s precisely what\u2019s happened to this Kansas City Chiefs team. They\u2019ve won too much for too long. Now, national analysts are looking for someone \u2014 anyone \u2014 to \u201crescue\u201d them from the tyranny of the NFL\u2019s version of Julius Caesar, but I wouldn\u2019t expect a knife in the Chiefs\u2019 back any time soon.<\/p>\n I refuse to buy into the annual tradition of NFL talking heads explaining to everyone why the rest of the league has finally caught up with the Chiefs.<\/p>\n Also, forgive me if we don\u2019t take team-building advice from a guy who took over the reins of a Tennessee Titans franchise instantly stripped it for parts. In two seasons, Carthon fired head coach Mike Vrabel, let running back Derrick Henry walk in free agency and installed Will Levis at starting quarterback.<\/p>\n The Titans weren\u2019t good prior to Carthon taking control, but in just two seasons, he drove the ship into the iceberg to the point that Tennessee had the first overall pick in this year\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n I think I\u2019ll put my faith in Chiefs general manager Brett Veach \u2014 but for argument\u2019s sake, let\u2019s still examine the claim.<\/p>\n Yes and no.<\/p>\n The answer to this question is always yes unless you do something to make the answer no.<\/p>\n With the NFL salary cap and the way the draft is structured, the NFL is designed for parity and to prevent dynasties from existing. Because of this, teams are constantly gaining ground on you, unless you find a way to stop the window from closing and prop it back open, as the Chiefs have managed to do in recent years.<\/p>\n Sure, Chris Jones is a year older, Travis Kelce is on his victory lap and Justin Reid is enjoying his Chiefs retirement in New Orleans with the rest of his former teammates.<\/p>\n But here is why the Chiefs will not only contend next season but also be better than they were in 2024.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t even just about this year\u2014 this is about the next five years. If this pick hits, then the best quarterback in the history of the NFL will finally have his blind side protected. If you can keep Patrick Mahomes upright, he will find a way to win you many football games.<\/p>\n This was the Chiefs’ biggest weakness, and they fixed it in spades.<\/p>\n Move over, Adele, because the Chiefs’ wide receiver room is \u201cRolling in the Deep.\u201d<\/p>\n Early last season, Jalen Royals dominated college football to the point that some analysts wondered if he could play his way into the back of Round 1 in the 2025 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n Then, he hurt his foot, which caused him to fall down draft boards.<\/p>\n I mention this because Royals is going to start the year fifth on the wide receiver depth chart for Kansas City, behind Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster.<\/p>\n The 2025 wide receiver group can be the deepest in Chiefs\u2019 history.<\/p>\n Chris Jones was injured in the Super Bowl, but it\u2019s not like he tore his ACL. He will be ready for the start of camp. Defensive line is one of the few positions where a player can be productive deep into their 30s.<\/p>\n In fact, since 1982, a 30-plus-year-old player has registered 13-plus sacks in a season 44 times.<\/p>\n Jones is just now 30 years old and could very well have three or four more years of elite defensive line play left in him.<\/p>\n George Karlaftis is entering his fourth season, Charles Omenihu is healthy, and Kansas City invested further in the pass rush by drafting Ashton Gillotte and Omar Norman Lott with top 100 picks in this year\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to imagine the pass rush being worse than it was a year ago when the Chiefs won the AFC.<\/p>\n Not only is the window propped wide open for the Chiefs in 2025, but Kansas City has positioned itself to have the opportunity to remain dominant for the rest of this decade.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Recently, a former NFL general manager said that the window was closed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kansas-city-chiefs"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
\nIs the Chiefs’ Super Bowl window closing?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"3](\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/kZc6pR7R4-nubS9o-QsYE0fQAfQ=\/0x0:3000x1874\/320x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1874):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/25990015\/1604440268.jpg)
<\/picture> <\/span> Charles Trainor Jr.\/Miami Herald\/Tribune News Service via Getty Images<\/cite><\/figure>\n
\n1. The Chiefs <\/strong>finally <\/strong><\/em>drafted a left tackle.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"3](\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/cUE66Vb4m1RMhiSnopy-XDMuAeI=\/0x0:3403x2268\/320x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3403x2268):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/25990019\/2211979551.jpg)
<\/picture> <\/span> Photo by Perry Knotts\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/figure>\n
\n2. The Chiefs\u2019 wide receiver room in \u2018Rolling in the Deep\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"3](\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/cCnLm8P0UhGcswR_zYzra4G6_V4=\/0x0:3607x2405\/320x0\/filters:focal(0x0:3607x2405):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/25990038\/2173823865.jpg)
<\/picture> <\/span> Photo by Kevin C. Cox\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/figure>\n
\n3. The Chiefs continue to invest in their pass rush<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"3](\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/xWeVKSt-E7Fy0BAO6ifVZ0LIGYk=\/0x0:5132x3421\/320x0\/filters:focal(0x0:5132x3421):format(webp):no_upscale()\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_asset\/file\/25990058\/1992961840.jpg)
<\/picture> <\/span> Photo by Jamie Squire\/Getty Images<\/cite><\/figure>\n
\nThe bottom line<\/strong><\/h2>\n