Peter Woods signing marks first in Chiefs history

The Kansas City Chiefs are just over three months away from kicking off the 2026 NFL season. The Chiefs are hoping to bounce back after a tough 2025 campaign, which saw them miss the playoffs altogether for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era.

The Chiefs have been busy making moves this offseason, including signing running back Kenneth Walker III in free agency and drafting former Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Recently, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter of ESPN broke down how Woods’ signing with Kansas City has made a bit of team history.

“First-round pick Peter Woods and the Chiefs reached agreement today on a 4-year, $18 million fully guaranteed deal, per Adie von Gontard and Ray Haija of @ymapaasports. Woods is said to have received the highest upfront percentage of his signing bonus in Chiefs’ 1st-round history,” reported Schefter on X, formerly Twitter.

It just goes to show how desperate the Chiefs are to rectify some of their issues from a year ago, which included a considerable step back on the defensive side of the ball. While Chris Jones remains a force on the defensive line, he isn’t able to play as many snaps per game as he could during his athletic prime, and he also is limited to quick bursts of elite play as opposed to relentless pressure on every down.

The Chiefs are clearly banking on the emergence of Woods and other young players to help make up the difference and inject this Kansas City defense with some much-needed youth. Meanwhile, Kansas City will hope that Mahomes is ready to go for the start of the season after suffering an ACL injury to close last year.

The Chiefs will kick off their 2026 campaign on September 14.

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