The Kansas City Chiefs sit at 5-4 during their bye week. It has been a year full of mixed results to this point in the season. With one half of the regular season to go, the Chiefs will need a strong push to challenge for their ultimate goal.

With those up-and-down outputs, it is no surprise that there have been some top performers and underachievers on the roster. One player who has put together a solid first half is safety Bryan Cook. That is extremely important for the player, given that Cook is in a contract year. Now in his fourth season, he is being counted on as the top safety in the Chiefs’ secondary. Equally important is the benefit he has given Kansas City after Justin Reid departed in free agency this past offseason.

In what areas has Cook stood out the most during his contract year? Plus, what kind of deal could he be looking at on the open market next offseason?

Where Bryan Cook is thriving in 2025

Through the first nine games of 2025, Cook has tallied three passes defended. His career-best mark for a single season was five passes defended, which came last season. He may get a shot to set a new career high in that category if his trends continue.

Elsewhere, Cook has been tremendous at making tackles and stops in space. He has just a 5.3% missed tackle percentage this season. He finished with his best career mark there last season as well, sitting at 6%. All in all, Cook could be well on his way to another impressive showing in the missed-tackle area. That is not an easy category to remain consistent in when playing the safety position.

Cook has stood tall against both quicker and bigger receivers in space. The Chiefs can still be weak against opposing tight ends as a whole. That was a major difference in the defense’s performance in the loss at Buffalo. But because of his instincts and physical play style, Cook can be trusted to hang with those tight ends more than any other Chiefs defensive back.

Chiefs generally let even their best safeties walk

At the safety position, Kansas City usually relies on players with size and instincts. Cook may not be at the level that Reid was during his Chiefs tenure, but with Reid going to New Orleans this year, Cook has helped make it a largely smooth transition.

That has been key for Kansas City on crucial downs for a few reasons—mainly due to the lack of results from other Chiefs safeties so far this season. Chamarri Conner’s inconsistency, along with erratic usage for Jaden Hicks, are hurdles that K.C. is looking to overcome defensively. Yet for Cook himself, he is earning his keep in a contract year while keeping the Chiefs tidy over the top in most weeks.

Given his play style, it would not be surprising to see the Chiefs wanting to bring Cook back in 2026. There is a noted history of Kansas City moving on from safeties after their initial contracts run out, however. That is true of both homegrown draft picks and incoming free agents at the position. Along with the aforementioned Reid, Tyrann Mathieu, and Juan Thornhill only played on their initial deals with Kansas City.

If Cook continues to play well down the stretch, his second half could lead to a fine payday on the open market. Kansas City may be willing to let another team outpay them, assuming his market value continues to rise during the second half of the season. For instance, Spotrac projects him to land a contract worth roughly $14.2 million per season. History tells us the Chiefs would likely replace him, despite his success in this contract year to this point.