{"id":42704,"date":"2026-01-31T23:35:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T23:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=42704"},"modified":"2026-01-31T23:35:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T23:35:15","slug":"chiefs-get-big-prediction-on-two-defensive-stars-heading-into-free-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=42704","title":{"rendered":"Chiefs Get Big Prediction on Two Defensive Stars Heading Into Free Agency"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2254660969_d0bd32-e1769889624614.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2254660969_d0bd32-e1769889624614.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2254660969_d0bd32-e1769889624614.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2254660969_d0bd32-e1769889624614.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Chiefs Get Big Prediction on Two Defensive Stars Heading Into Free Agency\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It wasn\u2019t a banner year for the Kansas City Chiefs. Coming off a blowout Super Bowl loss to the Eagles, the Chiefs were expected to reload and make another deep postseason run. Instead, a mixture of injuries and declining play led to Kansas City failing to win the AFC West for the first time in nine years and missing the playoffs altogether \u2014 something that was likely to occur even before MVP QB Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL.<\/p>\n<p>As the calendar is about to turn to February, the dust is settling on the 2025 season. The Seahawks and Patriots will battle it out in Super Bowl LX next Sunday, but the rest of the league is firmly looking towards the 2026 season. Free agency is just over a month away and the draft is the month after that. Now is the time for the Chiefs to be preparing for all the roster changes that will get Kansas City back to the top of the AFC in short order.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Kansas City Chiefs S Bryan Cook Could Be in Line for a Massive Payday<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_5746447\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2248783038-e1769890531440.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all\" alt=\"Chiefs Get Big Prediction on Two Defensive Stars Heading Into Free Agency\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5746447\" data-lazy-load=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-5746447\">\n<\/div>\n<p>The first priority for the Chiefs might be to decide how many of their own free agents they\u2019ll be trying to retain. Despite their poor record, this is still a strong roster, and they won\u2019t want to watch it get decimated by departing free agents.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, PFF\u2019s Mason Cameron discussed 10 defensive free agents who deserve big paydays in free agency this year. Two of the players he highlighted hail from Kansas City, and the Chiefs would be hurting if they lost both.<\/p>\n<p>The first is Chiefs S Bryan Cook, a former second-round pick out of Cincinnati. \u201cAlthough the Chiefs underperformed this past season, Cook made massive strides, earning a career-best 83.5 PFF overall grade, the fifth-highest mark among qualifying safeties,\u201d Cameron wrote. \u201cThe 26-year-old stood as the only safety to earn above an 80.0-plus PFF grade in both run defense (80.1) and coverage (83.2). He also ranked above the 90th percentile in missed tackle rate among safeties.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile Cook\u2019s grading profile in previous seasons doesn\u2019t jump off the page, he brings experience as a starter in a complex defensive scheme,\u201d Cameron continued. \u201cHis talent is undeniable, and at just over $14 million annually, Cook would rank just inside the 12 highest-paid safeties.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Kansas City Chiefs CB Jaylen Watson Could Also Get a Big Contract<\/h2>\n<p><iframe title=\"Video\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZN8M5zDQQLE?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;fs=1&amp;hl=en-US&amp;autohide=2&amp;wmode=transparent\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In addition to Cook, Cameron predicted that Chiefs CB Jaylen Watson , a former seventh-round pick out of Washington State, could also be a coveted target by teams in free agency. \u201cWatson is another standout member of the Chiefs\u2019 secondary in line for a lucrative payday,\u201d Cameron said. \u201cWatson has been one of the most consistent performers in [Chiefs DC] Steve Spagnuolo\u2019s scheme, earning a 68.0-plus PFF overall grade in each of the past three seasons. Over that span, he notched a 74.9 PFF coverage grade at outside cornerback, placing him in the 85th percentile.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWatson brings high-percentile length at cornerback to make him an enticing option this free agency cycle. At $12.5 million annually, Watson\u2019s projected value would be in line with Brandon Stephens\u2019 three-year, $36 million deal last offseason with the Jets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two defensive stars for the Kansas City Chiefs got a massive prediction ahead of free agency, as both are set to hit the open market.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42705,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kansas-city-chiefs"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Chiefs Get Big Prediction on Two Defensive Stars Heading Into Free Agency - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=42704\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chiefs Get Big Prediction on Two Defensive Stars Heading Into Free Agency - 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