The Kansas City Chiefs have understood the need to reevaluate their roster coming out of a blowout loss in the Super Bowl. Improvements were met with uncertain free agency circumstances that saw them retain valuable players while losing some key contributors. Amid the chaos, the Chiefs held onto starting right guard Trey Smith, arguably the best at his position across the league. He was a top priority heading into the offseason and Kansas City utilized the franchise tag to maintain him.

Defensively, the Chiefs saw the two sides of free agency. They kept linebacker Nick Bolton but were unable to reunite with Justin Reid who left to join the New Orleans Saints. Smith may have been the best free agent on the team, but Reid and Bolton have proven to be two major assets on the defense. With the free agency period now in the past, Kansas City still faces a forthcoming deadline with two more defensive players.

May 1, the Chiefs will need decisions on exercising the fifth year on both defensive end George Karlaftis and cornerback Trent McDuffie. The two are among the best young players at their position and will demand top dollar on their next contract. McDuffie specifically ranked No. 3 in PFF’s cornerback rankings last season and Karlaftis already has the second-most postseason sacks in franchise history. One or both players would be a significant loss for the team.

Looking at the salary cap table, the Chiefs currently possess roughly $12.7 million in available cap room according to Over The Cap projections. That number and future numbers could fluctuate depending on any other offseason moves or future league adjustments to the figure.

Nonetheless, that does not change the decision they face now. If they opt into the fifth year, extensions for Karlaftis and McDuffie become real possibilities. Alternatively, opting out makes their free agencies more of a pressing issue. As they consider these courses of action, Smith’s tag only gets both sides through this season, so his future will need attending to a year from now.

The Chiefs have excelled in using the draft to find key contributors in recent years, especially on the defensive side. But the challenge of retaining all those pieces is apparent and they are experiencing that firsthand heading into 2025.