Kansas City Chiefs heading for $55m black hole despite NFL bombshell as questions remain over Travis Kelce contract

The Kansas City Chiefs are set for a tough offseason.

After finishing 2025 with a 6-11 record that effectively brought the curtain down on a Super Bowl-winning dynasty, the Chiefs will be going through some sort of a rebuild.

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Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy is out, chasing a head coach job, and Eric Bieniemy has returned to Arrowhead to work closely with the injured Patrick Mahomes and his offense.

Legendary tight end Travis Kelce, meanwhile, is yet to make an official retirement announcement, despite dropping some fresh hints.

He could leave a massive hole in the locker room, and on the roster, if he does choose to hang up his cleats.

Speaking of that roster specifically, the Chiefs have pretty massive problem. A $55 million problem, in fact.

Chiefs face massive offseason cap issue

Since arriving in 2017, Mahomes has established himself as the NFL‘s best quarterback, and delivered three Super Bowl wins in the past seven seasons.

With a franchise quarterback, Kansas City’s team-building process should have been straightforward in recent years, as the most important position has long been locked down.

However, Mahomes has become very expensive and now commands a $450 million contract that pays $45m each year — one of the biggest deals in the NFL.

Around him, some of the roster has aged out, and poor drafting in recent years means KC’s front office is somewhat exposed.

They have been unable to afford marquee free agents, and despite having a stagnating roster that struggled in 2025, the Chiefs are set for more offseason headaches.

As it stands, the team will be around $55m over the cap heading into the new league year.

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That figure puts Kansas City rock bottom of the NFL in terms of cap space, and means general manager Brett Veach has some tough decisions to make.

Even the NFL’s bombshell announcement, which projects a salary cap in the range of $301.2m to $305.7m, will not provide too much relief.

How can the Chiefs cut cap costs?

Teams around the league are rejoicing at the substantial increase to this season’s $279.2m cap.

The new figure could be nearly $100m higher than it was during the 2022 NFL season ($208.2m) after the Covid years severely hindered league earnings.

Kansas City’s front office restructured the contracts of Mahomes, and fellow franchise star Chris Jones, over the last two offseasons, but that plan likely won’t cut it this time around.

Changes will have to be made, and Sports Illustrated recently suggested the likes of OT Jawaan Taylor ($20m in cap savings), edge rusher Mike Danna ($8.9m in cap savings), and linebacker Drue Tranquill ($6m in cap savings) could be cut to save money.

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The idea of trading away All-Pro Trent McDuffie, amid a rising cornerback market, has also been touted to pull the Chiefs out of their $55m offseason black hole.

Such decisions would mark a sobering moment for a fallen dynasty that demands to challenge for the Super Bowl each year.

Then, there is the Kelce issue.

Travis Kelce contract could add to KC issue

The 36-year-old franchise icon has been tight-lipped on his future. But if he is to return to the NFL, he would need to sign a new contract.

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Chiefs fans would be absolutely furious if Kelce was to suit up for a different team in 2026, meaning the front office would surely prioritize bringing him back if he wants to play.

Spotrac.com predicts that Kelce’s next contract would land just shy of $11m per season ($10,771,819) on current market value.

If Kansas City are to bring him back, they would have to free up that space, on top of the $55m required to be cap compliant.

Strap in, Chiefs fans, because it could be a long, sobering summer.

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