The last year has seen the Kansas City Chiefs invest some serious financial capital into their linebacker room, the likes of which fans haven’t seen in years. However, with great power—or in this case, with great cap hits—comes great responsibility. K.C.’s linebackers are going to need to show up in a major way in 2025.

To understand what these new price tags demand in terms of production, we have to set the stage for how the Chiefs have approached the LB position over the last decade or more. Kansas City hasn’t had true coverage linebackers since Derrick Johnson. Even then, there weren’t traditional outside linebackers, just defensive ends who would occasionally drop into coverage (think Tamba Hali, Justin Houston, Dee Ford, or Frank Zombo).

That context matters as we evaluate a linebacker room that is already doing more than any group in recent memory. The last time the Chiefs spent “big money” on a linebacker was Justin Houston’s six-year, $101 million extension in 2015, which carried cap hits of $13 million, $22 million, and $20 million over his final three seasons in KC—and all for a linebacker who couldn’t cover or be trusted on an island in zone coverage.

Fast-forward to 2025, and this is the largest investment in the linebacker position since Steve Spagnuolo arrived in 2019. Since then, the position group has gone through several iterations with varying degrees of success. The current trio features Leo Chenal at SAM, Nick Bolton at MIKE, and Drue Tranquill at WILL.

With far and away the most versatile group of linebackers Spags has had since coming to Kansas City (and equally the highest price tag), we’ll need to see a jump from this group both in terms of availability and performance now that they command over 8% of the Chiefs’ overall cap space.

Leo Chenal

Chenal, entering his third year on the Chiefs’ defense, has been a quality addition, with more than 60 tackles in each of the last two seasons. With his cap hit nearly tripling over last season, Chenal is now a feature of this defense, no longer just an overproducing third-rounder.

Chenal will be counted on more moving forward. Last season, he played in only 41% of defensive snaps, which will likely be a thing of the past. Of course, packages change the availability of players, but the Chiefs have shown they believe in Chenal and want him around long-term. If he can continue to punch above his weight, he will be a bargain at his current contract.

Drue Tranquill

Signed as a free agent two offseasons ago, Tranquill has proven to be a game-changer for the defense. He recorded 94 tackles last year and showed he could be a reliable partner for Bolton, even taking over signal-calling duties when Bolton was injured in 2023.

Like Chenal’s, Tranquill’s contract reflects the team’s belief in him as a long-term piece. If he can improve his coverage skills and become a true every-down linebacker, he could earn more accolades and admiration from Chiefs Kingdom.

Nick Bolton

Bolton, the play-calling leader of the defense, is now signed through 2027 as one of the NFL’s highest-paid linebackers. His biggest question mark has been health—he missed half of the 2023 season but played a full year in 2024.

Since entering the league, Bolton has never dipped below 60% of the defensive snaps and has never had fewer than 106 tackles in a full season, yet he remains a disruptive force. He’s one of the best linebackers the Chiefs have drafted since Derrick Johnson and continues to expand his game.

Unlike Tranquill and Chenal, Bolton is a constant presence on the field. The next step in his evolution is to take the leadership torch from Chris Jones and set the tone for the rest of the defense. The Chiefs’ investment in him signals their belief that as Bolton goes, so goes the defense.

This linebacker unit has developed over the last two years into one of the better groups in the NFL. After years of turnover at the position, it’s clear the front office recognized the talent they had and locked it down, committing 8% of the cap to keep it intact.

Whether this financial commitment leads to another leap forward or simply preserves an already championship-caliber core remains to be seen. Either way, the Chiefs have secured a strong linebacker foundation for years to come.