Arrowheadlines: Jaylen Watson is the Chiefs’ best trade asset

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2025 NFL free agency: Top 10 offseason moves so far, including Davante Adams to Rams, Justin Fields to Jets | CBS Sports

3. Joe Thuney to the Bears

Acquired via trade for: 2026 fourth-round pick

Thuney will turn 33 during the 2025 season, but he’s never logged fewer than 97% of his teams’ offensive snaps over the course of his nine-year career. With both the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs, he proved durable and versatile. These are all major gets for a Chicago front that hardly let 2024 rookie Caleb Williams take a breath under center. Will Thuney alone bulldoze the Bears into playoff relevance? No. But his reliability should make him a tone-setter for the rest of the rebuilt trenches.

Five Things to Know About New Chiefs DT Jerry Tillery | The Mothership

3. Tillery has demonstrated the ability to play both as an interior rusher and an outside defensive end during his career.

The 6-foot-6, 295-pound Tillery is primarily an interior rusher by trade, but he’s demonstrated some versatility throughout his career.

Notably, Tillery recorded 367 snaps lined up over the outside shoulder of the opposing tackle in 2020, and while he hasn’t done a ton of it since, he certainly has the size and length to play multiple positions up front.

Every team’s best trade asset ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft | PFF

Kansas City Chiefs: CB Jaylen Watson

The Chiefs are known for keeping their core starters in place, particularly on defense, but this offseason has been fraught with change. That includes at cornerback with the signing of Kristian Fulton, which might not leave a clear future for a player like Watson.

Watson’s 2024 season was limited by a broken leg, but he was a standout cover man with a 71.6 PFF coverage grade. However, Kansas City has several other young cornerbacks, including Chamarri Conner — who is more of a slot option — Joshua Williams and Nazeeh Johnson. All of Watson, Williams and Johnson will be 2026 free agents, but Watson would be the most valuable if traded.

2025 NFL Free Agency: This Year’s Most Underrated Signings | The 33rd Team

Kristian Fulton, CB, Kansas City Chiefs

Defensive backs got paid this offseason. Jaycee Horn was extended at the top of the market and then beaten out by Derek Stingley’s extension. Meanwhile, the top corners in free agency now round out the top 12 of average annual value at the position with deals ranging from $16-$18 million per year.

Because of that, teams taking some shots further down the market could work out for some teams. The Kansas City Chiefs signed Kristian Fulton for two years and $20 million with $15 million guaranteed. That’s a decent swing for a player who has shown upside throughout his career.

The former second-round looked like a future star in Tennessee before injuries thwarted his progress. On a one-year deal with the Charges last season, he was one of the best cornerbacks in football during the first half of the season by multiple advanced metrics, including adjusted yards allowed per coverage snap.

According to Next Gen Stats, Fulton had the 17th-highest tight window rate on targets among defensive backs with at least 20 targets on the season.

Having Fulton on the outside could allow Trent McDuffie to move into the slot more often in 2025, especially with safety Justin Reid now gone. McDuffie was a stronger slot corner in 2023 than he was outside in 2024, and moving him inside more often with Fulton on one side would allow the Chiefs to get the most out of Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams, and Nazeeh Johnson on the other side.

NFL beat writer mock draft 2.0: Where do Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter, Cam Ward land? | The Athletic

31. Kansas City Chiefs: JT Tuimoloau, Edge, Ohio State

Since general manager Brett Veach and coach Andy Reid have found quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ next left tackle in Jaylon Moore, this mock draft presented two options for the team: Add another pass rusher or acquire Elijah Arroyo, the Miami tight end who could learn from future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce, who could retire after the 2025 season. As enticing as Arroyo is, the most logical decision is Tuimoloau, who is the ideal defensive end for coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. The Chiefs need to bolster their pass rush, especially since six-year veteran Charles Omenihu is still a free agent. Similar to three-year player George Karlaftis, Tuimoloau can rush the quarterback with power, be a plus-defender when setting the edge against the run and be tenacious enough to make second-effort splash highlights. — Nate Taylor

2025 NFL three-round mock draft: Jets pick Shedeur Sanders, 49ers replenish offense with a first-round WR | CBS Sports

Round 1 – Pick 31

Grey Zabel IOL

North Dakota State • Sr • 6’6” / 312 lbs

New Orleans

Chiefs GM Brett Veach obtains No. 40 (second round) and No. 71 (third round) from New Orleans in this deal.

Around the NFL

Source – Danielle Hunter, Texans reach 1-year, $35.6M extension | ESPN

Last March, Hunter agreed to a two-year, $49 million contract with Houston as a free agent. The Texans have added $35.6 million to the back end of that original deal after his Pro Bowl debut with the team.

Hunter will get a $12 million raise in 2025, bumping his salary to $32 million. He will earn the remainder of the extension in 2026.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs’ Salary Cap: Space comes into focus from details for 5 players

Originally reported as a “flat deal” with $15 million per season, the cap specifics are a bit more complicated. Per the contract website Spotrac, most of Bolton’s 2025 money will come via a $12.8 million signing bonus to be spread over the three seasons. $4.3 million of the bonus will be charged to the salary cap in each of next three seasons.

For the coming season, Bolton will earn a fully guaranteed $2 million base salary plus a yearly $250,000 workout bonus — always considered likely-to-be-earned (LTBE) for accounting purposes. This gives the linebacker only a $6.5 million salary cap charge for 2025, while the remaining two seasons will have cap numbers of $19.25 million.

Bolton’s $14.75 million base salary for 2026 is also fully guaranteed.

The Chiefs were not done reinforcing the defense. On March 11, the team agreed to terms with free agent cornerback Kristian Fulton — last with the division rival Los Angeles Chargers. The reported contract terms were two years for $20 million. $15 million of his compensation was guaranteed at signing.