Tranquill had his base pay for 2026 lowered from $6 million to $3.5 million, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
The move helps Kansas City save $2.5 million in cap space, per Garafolo, who also said Tranquill could have been a cap casualty if not for this renegotiation. Tranquill finished with 103 tackles (55 solo), including 2.0 sacks, a pass breakup, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 2025.
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Commanders' Charles Omenihu: Inks deal with Washington
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Omenihu and the Commanders agreed on a one-year, $4 million contract Wednesday, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.
Omenihu will join a Washington defense that has undergone quite the facelift this offseason. The 28-year-old played in all 17 regular-season games with Kansas City in 2025, matching his career-high 28 total tackles (15 solo), including 3.5 sacks. Now with the Commanders, Omenihu will be a part of the team's pass rush along with fellow newcomers Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson and holdover Dorance Armstrong.
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Eric Scott: Becomes free agent
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Scott (undisclosed) will be an unrestricted free agent after he was not tendered by Kansas City on Wednesday, per the NFL transaction report.
Scott entered the offseason as a restricted free agent, but the Chiefs have decided to move on. The cornerback missed the entirety of the 2025 campaign while on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. Scott has yet to make his NFL debut after being selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Cowboys, and he'll look to prove his health and do so in 2026.
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Commanders' Leo Chenal: Lands in Washington
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Chenal agreed to terms Tuesday on a three-year contract with the Commanders, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Chenal always played a consistent role during his three years with the Chiefs, but he never surpassed 439 defensive snaps in a season. When he's on the field, he's quite dependable, stacking up 193 tackles, including 6.0 sacks, over 48 games through the last two seasons. With Bobby Wagner likely holding onto an every-down role, Chenal will need to battle for reps behind the likes of Dorance Armstrong (knee) and Frankie Luvu.
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Titans' Josh Williams: Headed to Tennessee
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Williams and the Titans agreed on a two-year contract Monday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Williams will head to Tennessee after four seasons with the Chiefs, most recently operating primarily as a special-teams asset in 2025. The cornerback played in 15 regular-season contests, logging 255 of his 272 total snaps with the special teams unit, ultimately compiling six total tackles (four solo) during the 2025 campaign. Williams will now look to compete for a starting role in the Titans' secondary in 2026, while the team has also added Alontae Taylor from the Saints and Cor'Dale Flott from the Giants at cornerback so far in free agency.
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Bengals' Bryan Cook: Brings talents to Cincinnati
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Cook agreed to terms Monday on a three-year, $40.25 million contract with the Bengals, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Cook solidified himself as a starter at safety for the Chiefs in 2024 and further built on that success in 2025, when he totaled 85 tackles (50 solo) and six passes defensed while suiting up for all 17 regular-season games. He's positioned as a locked-in starter for Cincinnati's secondary for the 2026 campaign and beyond.
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Rams' Jaylen Watson: Joining McDuffie on Rams
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Watson (groin) agreed to a three-year contract with the Rams on Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Watson's deal won't become official until the new league year begins Wednesday, at which point the Rams should officially have two former Chiefs cornerbacks on their roster in Watson and Trent McDuffie. Watson notched exactly six passes defensed in each of his four regular seasons with Kansas City, exceeding expectations after being drafted in the seventh round in 2022. He started all 15 games in which he appeared for the Chiefs in 2025 before missing the final two games of the season due to a groin injury, an issue he'll presumably be past ahead of OTAs.
The Rams signed McDuffie to a four-year, $124 million extension Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
The deal contains $100 million guaranteed and makes McDuffie the NFL's highest-paid cornerback at $31 million per year. The Rams sent multiple draft picks, including the No. 29 overall pick in next month's draft, to the Chiefs last week in exchange for McDuffie, and Los Angeles now has committed big money to the 25-year-old. McDuffie will be tasked with keying the Rams secondary after it sprung leaks late last season.
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Rams' Trent McDuffie: Working toward extension
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McDuffie and the Rams have made significant progress on a contract extension, and the sides hope to have a deal done in the near future, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
McDuffie was sent to Los Angeles in a blockbuster trade that will become official this week, and the 25-year-old cornerback is due for a new deal as he heads into the final year of his rookie contract. He figures to command around $30 million per year on his new pact.
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Rams' Trent McDuffie: Traded to Rams in blockbuster deal
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The Chiefs have agreed to terms Wednesday on a trade that will send McDuffie (knee) to the Rams in exchange for a package that includes the No. 29 overall pick, in the 2026 NFL Draft, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
McDuffie will immediately provide a significant boost to Los Angeles' defense as the team works to maximize the remainder of Matthew Stafford's tenure, while also providing salary cap relief for Kansas City. The Chiefs' full return includes Los Angeles' first-, fifth- and sixth-round picks in April's draft, as well as a third-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. A two-time Super Bowl champion and 2023 first-team All-Pro selection, McDuffie is still entering just his age-26 season and is expected to ink a new long-term deal with the Rams, per Schefter. He was limited to just 13 regular-season appearances in 2025 due to a knee injury, but there have been no indications that the issue may impede McDuffie's offseason participation.
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Mike Danna: Released by Kansas City
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The Chiefs released Danna on Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
The move clears $8.94 million in cap space for Kansas City, as Danna had one year remaining on a three-year, $24 million deal. Danna was a fifth-round pick by the Chiefs in the 2020 NFL Draft and appeared in 87 regular-season games through six seasons, making 49 starts. Across those contests, Danna racked up 194 tackles (96 solo), including 21.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and six pass breakups, along with one interception. He won a pair of Super Bowls with the team but will now be on the lookout for a new landing spot.
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Chiefs' Derrick Nnadi: Re-ignited by return trade
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Nnadi ended the 2025 season with 16 tackles, including 10 solo tackles, over 15 games.
Nnadi signed a one-year contract with the Jets, but he ended up being traded back to the Chiefs before the start of the regular season for a conditional 2027 draft-pick swap. Finding himself back in familiar circumstances, the defensive tackle was able to log five more tackles (seven more solo tackles) than in the 2024 regular season. The 29-year-old was able to prove he can still be an effective run defender at this stage of his career, and he will surely be an attractive target for any team looking for a cost-effective lineman familiar with 4-3 defenses.
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Chiefs' Jerry Tillery: Reliable on one-year deal
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Tillery finished the 2025 season with 20 tackles (eight solo), including 1.5 sacks, and added a fumble recovery over 17 games.
Tillery was a reliable depth defensive tackle, playing 17 percent to 52 percent of defensive snaps per game throughout the entire 2025 season. The 29-year-old has been a Charger, Raider, Viking, and Chief throughout his tenure in the NFL, and 2026 could mark a return to one of those franchises or a new destination entirely for the lineman heading into his ninth season.
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Chiefs' Mike Danna: Disappointing down year
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Danna ended the 2025 season with 25 tackles (eight solo), including 1.0 sacks, and added one interception over 15 games.
Danna ended up playing in two more games than in the 2024 regular season, yet he ended with 2.5 fewer sacks and 16 fewer tackles. This is likely because Danna was playing more snaps in 2024, as the 2025 Chiefs defense saw more rotational play from rookie Ashton Gillotte. If Danna cannot increase his impact in 2026, he may lose the starting role to Gillotte and be forced to take a more secondary role in the Chiefs' defense.
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Chiefs' Charles Omenihu: Productive on one-year deal
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Omenihu finished the 2025 season with 28 tackles (15 solo), including 3.5 sacks, over 17 games.
Omenihu signed a one-year deal to stay in Kansas City, a decision that resulted in an increase in production that will be useful in him negotiating his next contract. As a rotational defensive end behind starters George Karlaftis and Mike Danna, he logged 2.0 more sacks than in the 2024 regular season and 22 more tackles. He did so while playing the same number of games as he had in the past two regular seasons combined, proving that the 28-year-old still has the durability to survive an NFL season. Omenihu will enter the 2026 season as a free agent, and it is unclear if he will seek another contract with Kansas City or if he will take his talents elsewhere.
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Chiefs' Ashton Gillotte: Sees rotational volume as rookie
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Gillotte ended the 2025 season with 38 tackles (14 solo), including 1.5 sacks, as well as one interception over 17 games.
Gillotte saw defensive snaps in every game of the season, logging 25 percent or more of the team's defensive snaps in all contests except the Week 1 matchup with the Chargers. The third-round rookie will likely see a similar amount of snaps and opportunities in Year 2, as starting defensive ends George Karlaftis and Mike Danna will both remain with the Chiefs for the foreseeable future.
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Chiefs' Jaden Hicks: Maintains role as depth piece
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Hicks saw snaps at strong safety and slot cornerback as he worked to amass 42 tackles (29 solo), including 0.5 sacks, and four passes defensed over 17 regular-season games in 2025.
Hicks saw an uptick in defensive snaps during his sophomore campaign, jumping from 312 as a rookie in the 2024 regular season to 445 in the 2025 season. While the defensive back was utilized as a Swiss Army knife in multiple areas of the secondary, he maintained his role as a special-teams contributor throughout the season as well. Hicks will head into his third year with a shot to take over at slot cornerback full time if the Chiefs do not sign or move someone to replace Mike Edwards, whose one-year deal is up.
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Chiefs' Nohl Williams: Strong rookie campaign
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Williams ended the 2025 season with 48 tackles (30 solo), including 1.0 sacks, and seven passes defensed over 17 games.
Williams was a consistent special-teams contributor who earned a shot at being a full-time defensive starter toward the end of the campaign. The cornerback ended the season strong with 23 of his 48 total tackles coming in the last five games, along with his sole sack and four of his passes defensed. The third-round rookie has the potential to be a consistent starting cornerback for the Chiefs, as Jaylen Watson (groin) and Mike Edwards are on expiring deals.
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Chiefs' Chris Jones: Down year in 2025
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Jones recorded 29 tackles (15 solo), including 7.0 sacks, and two passes defended across 17 games with Kansas City during the 2025 campaign.
Jones had one of the least productive seasons of his career, as his 29 tackles marked his lowest total since 2021, when he missed three games. However, despite the dip in production, the 2016 second-round pick still managed to lead the team in sacks once again. Jones will look to bounce back and help the Chiefs return to the playoffs during the 2026 campaign.
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Chiefs' Bryan Cook: Another solid season in 2025
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Cook recorded 85 tackles (50 solo) and six passes defensed in 17 games with Kansas City in 2025.
After emerging as a starter last season, Cook remained one of the Chiefs' top producers in their defensive backfield in 2025, notching new career highs in total tackles and in passes defensed. It might have been a bit disappointing that he could not come away with any interceptions, but he almost certainly did enough in the final year of his rookie deal to earn a second NFL contract and a big raise, whether that be in Kansas City or elsewhere. He is currently on track to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
