Karlaftis (thumb) has no injury designation ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Broncos.
The Purdue product upgraded from limited practice sessions Wednesday and Thursday to a full go Friday, indicating that he's moved past his thumb injury in time to play in the Week 11 divisional matchup. Now fully healthy, expect Karlaftis to operate as one of Kansas City's top defensive linemen Sunday.
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Chiefs' George Karlaftis: Tending to thumb issue
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Karlaftis (thumb) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.
Karlaftis led Chiefs defensive ends in defensive snaps (51) in the last game before their Week 10 bye at Buffalo, and it's not immediately obvious when he suffered the thumb injury. He'll have two more opportunities to practice in full before Kansas City publishes its final practice report of the week Friday.
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Chiefs' George Karlaftis: Secures sack in win
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Karlaftis recorded three total tackles (one solo), including 1.0 sacks, and a pass defensed in Monday night's 28-7 win over the Commanders.
Karlaftis was able to get to Marcus Mariota in the first quarter, securing his first full sack since Week 4. The defensive lineman has now registered 26 total tackles (16 solo), including 4.5 sacks, while also adding two passes defensed and a fumble recovery over eight games this year.
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Chiefs' George Karlaftis: Recovers fumble in loss
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Karlaftis recorded two total tackles (one solo), including 0.5 sacks, while also recovering a fumble in Monday's 31-28 loss to Jacksonville.
Karlaftis was held to two tackles for the second straight week, but he was still able to combine with Leo Chenal to sack Trevor Lawrence in the fourth quarter. Additionally, he was able to hop on a loose ball after Nick Bolton stripped Lawrence in the second quarter, notching his first fumble recovery since 2022. Karlaftis has now registered 20 total tackles (14 solo), including 3.5 sacks, while also adding a pass defensed and a fumble recovery over five games this year.
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Chiefs' George Karlaftis: Records Week 1 sack
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Karlaftis notched three tackles (two solo), including 1.0 sacks, in Friday's Week 1 loss to the Chargers.
Two of Karlaftis' tackles were behind the line of scrimmage -- he sacked Justin Herbert for a 10-yard loss on Los Angeles' first drive and later assisted on a stop of Omarion Hampton that resulted in a one-yard loss. Karlaftis played 55 of Kansas City's 65 defensive snaps overall, with the 85 percent snap share falling right in the range he typically logged last season. The fourth-year pass rusher is off to a good start after recording 8.0 sacks across 16 regular-season contests last year.
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Chiefs' George Karlaftis: Lands big extension from KC
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Karlaftis agreed to a four-year, $93 million contract with the Chiefs on Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Kansas City also picked up Karlaftis' fifth-year option in April, which means he'll now be tied to the team through the 2030 campaign. This new extension also includes $62 million guaranteed, as he's been a key piece of a defense that's won two of the last three Super Bowls. The 2022 first-round pick has tallied 115 tackles, including 24.5 sacks, while appearing in 49 regular-season games over the past three seasons. Karlaftis and defensive tackle Chris Jones should continue to form one of the NFL's best pass-rushing duos in 2025.
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Chiefs' George Karlaftis: Fifth-year option exercised
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Karlaftis had the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, worth $15.1 million, picked up by Kansas City on Tuesday, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports.
Karlaftis has emerged as a pillar of the defense and he'll now be under contract through the 2026 campaign. The defensive lineman produced 35 total tackles (21 solo), including 8.0 sacks, while also adding five passes defensed over 16 regular-season games with Kansas City last year. He will likely start opposite of Mike Danna on the team's defensive line in 2025 with Chris Jones and Jerry Tillery sandwiched between them.
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Chiefs' George Karlaftis: Upgrades to full Thursday
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Karlaftis (abdomen) was a full participant in Thursday's practice.
Karlaftis was limited Wednesday but seems fine ahead of Sunday's date with the Broncos. On the season, Karlaftis has recorded 22 tackles (12 solo), including 4.0 sacks, 13 QB hits and two pass deflections.
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Chiefs' George Karlaftis: Limited Wednesday
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Karlaftis (abdomen) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.
The third-year pro from Purdue played 33 defensive snaps and recorded four total tackles, including 1.0 sacks, in the Chiefs' Week 9 win over the Buccaneers. However, it now appears he picked up an abdomen injury in the process. Karlaftis' participation Thursday and Friday will likely provide the best indication of whether he can play through the pain in Week 10's matchup against the Broncos.
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Chiefs' George Karlaftis: Records sack in win
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Karlaftis finished with three tackles (two solo), including a tackle for a loss and 1.0 sacks, in Sunday's 28-18 win over the 49ers.
The defensive end also played on 89 percent of the defensive snaps. Karlaftis has 14 tackles (eight solo), including 2.0 sacks, in six games this season.
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Chiefs' George Karlaftis: Adds to sack count in win
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Karlaftis finished Sunday's 25-17 win over the Bengals with five tackles (four solo), including 1.5 sacks.
Both of Karlaftis' sacks came in the fourth quarter. His first was split with Charles Omenihu for a seven-yard loss, and Karlaftis got a sack of his own on Jake Browning with less than two minutes to go in the game that helped seal the win for the Chiefs. Karlaftis has a team-leading 10.5 sacks over 16 games this season and is tied for 16th in the league in that category.
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Chiefs' George Karlaftis: Logs another sack in win
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Karlaftis recorded three total tackles (all solo), including one sack and one tackle for loss in Sunday's 31-17 win over the Raiders.
The 2022 first-round pick has now recorded 8.0 sacks through Kansas City's first 11 games, overtaking Chris Jones as the team's leader in that category. Karlaftis started all 17 games for the Chiefs during his rookie season, and he's already bested his 2022 totals in sacks, tackles and forced fumbles thus far. The 22-year-old seems like a budding star, and he's expected to continue wreaking havoc for Kansas City's defense for the remainder of the season.
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Chiefs' George Karlaftis: Productive in win
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Karlaftis recorded four tackles, including 1.5 sacks, in Sunday's 17-9 win at Jacksonville.
Trevor Lawrence was sacked four times in Week 2, and Karlaftis got in on the action, collecting 1.5 sacks of his own. The sophomore defensive end turned things up a notch towards the end of the 2022 season, and that play has carried into 2023, at least so far. If he keeps up the pace, he'll be a hot option in the IDP market as the season unfolds.
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Chiefs' George Karlaftis: Rounds into form late in 2022
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Karlaftis compiled 33 tackles (18 solo), six sacks and seven passes defensed during the regular season of rookie campaign in 2022.
Karlaftis took some time to round into form as a pass rusher, compiling just half a sack over the first 10 games. However, once he found his form, he never looked back. Karlaftis finished the regular season on a tear, recording 5.5 sacks over the final seven games to give the Chiefs a pass-rush threat on both sides of the defensive line opposite Frank Clark and in the middle with star defensive tackle Chris Jones. Karlaftis may go a bit under the radar entering 2023, given his overall sack total, but his strong close to the regular season could make him worth a look as a defensive line IDP in some formats next season.
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Chiefs' George Karlaftis: Taken by Kansas City in Round 1
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The Chiefs selected Karlaftis in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 30th overall.
Karlaftis might not be as toolsy as some of the other edge defenders drafted ahead of him, but his production at Purdue can match almost anyone and there's nothing concerning in his workout metrics. At 6-foot-4, 266 pounds his 38-inch vertical jump and 121-inch broad jump indicate plus explosiveness out of his stance, and his athletic dimensions otherwise are very similar to former Purdue defensive end great Ryan Kerrigan. Most teams need more players like Karlaftis, and the Chiefs as much as any team.
