The Kansas City Chiefs are no longer the team that automatically floods every under-25 list with blue-chip talent. That’s the shift at the center of their roster right now: the old core is still there, but it’s older, and the next wave has to start carrying real weight.
Travis Kelce is a decent bet to call it quits after this season. Chris Jones is 32.
Patrick Mahomes is in the early part of his thirties. The names that built the Chiefs into a dynasty are still prominent, but they don’t fit the profile of the league’s youngest rising stars anymore.
That reality showed up again in CBS Sports’ latest ranking of the NFL’s best players under 25. Kansas City didn’t place a single player on the list. The only Chiefs connection came through the bio for cornerback Trent McDuffie, whom the Chiefs traded away this offseason in exchange for several draft assets and salary cap savings.
The contrast is sharp for a franchise trying to bounce back from a 6-11 season, its first time missing the playoffs at home in more than a decade. If Kansas City is going to get back to its standard, the answer has to come from the younger group now entering the picture.
The Chiefs used two first-round picks on defensive tackle Peter Woods, who is 21, and cornerback Mansoor Delane, who is 22. Both are expected to see plenty of snaps right away, even as rookies.
Josh Simmons is another name to watch. The left tackle was Kansas City’s first-round pick a year ago, and after a season interrupted by injury and a personal leave of absence, Andy Reid is counting on him to become a cornerstone on the offensive line. At 23, Simmons has the kind of upside that could put him on this kind of list next year.
Other young players who could take a step this season include pass rusher R Mason Thomas, cornerback Nohl Williams, and wide receiver Xavier Worthy.
There are also players who might have made a case for this year’s ranking. George Karlaftis just turned 25 and remains the Chiefs’ best edge rusher.
His extension made clear how Kansas City values him, even if CBS left him off the list. Running back Kenneth Walker III was fresh off a Super Bowl MVP win, but he also didn’t make the cut.
The Chiefs still have young talent with real promise. They just don’t live in the same place they once did, when the roster was stacked with youthful stars. Now the challenge is different: keep the veteran engine running while waiting for the next generation to break through in 2026.
In Other News...
Former Chief Tershawn Whartons Carolina Move Has Taken A Brutal Turn
Tershawn Whartons first season in Carolina has gone sideways almost as soon as it began. After leaving Kansas City on a three-year deal, the former Chiefs defensive lineman managed only a few games in 2025 before a neck injury ended his year and sent him toward surgery, a tough turn for a player the Panthers expected to help anchor the front.
Carolina has not offered a firm timetable for his return, which leaves his status hanging over the team as it looks ahead to 2026. Even beyond the rehab process, there is a longer-term roster question waiting in 2027, when the Panthers will have to decide whether Wharton still fits their plans or whether the contract gives them a cleaner way out. [Read more 🡒]
Tom Brady Took A Loaded Shot In A Very Chiefs Context
Tom Brady went on the Kelce brothers podcast and turned a familiar NFL gripe into a pointed one, using the stage with Travis and Jason Kelce to take aim at the leagues wideouts. In the course of talking about the frustration receivers feel when they are not getting the ball, Brady likened them to the Real Housewives of the NFL, a line that fit his larger point about how hard it can be for pass-catchers to stay committed when the touches dry up.
The comment landed with extra bite in a Chiefs context, especially coming from someone who is now a minority owner of the Raiders. Kansas City has lived through its own share of receiver drama, and Bradys broad swipe at the position only sharpened the contrast between the teams stable stars and the kind of off-field noise that has too often followed some of the leagues most talented pass-catchers. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Insider Pushes Back As Kelce Wedding Rumors Spiral
The swirl around Travis Kelce and Taylor Swifts wedding kept growing this week, but one of the Chiefs most visible voices stepped in to cut through the noise. Tavia Hunt, wife of Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, publicly pushed back on the online chatter, saying the stories about long lines and food or drink problems were not true, and adding that the ceremony itself was handled smoothly with every guest seated.
Hunt also praised the vows as beautiful and took aim at the way false information can spread once a high-profile event becomes public conversation. Former NFL player Greg Olsen added his own positive account of the private, phone-free gathering, describing a relaxed atmosphere and a guest list that fit the moment, even as the rumor mill kept working overtime. [Read more 🡒]