It’s safe to say that the Kansas City Chiefs’ dynasty came crashing down this season. After five Super Bowl appearances and three Lombardi Trophies in the last six years, the Chiefs were dealt a stark wake-up call in the 2025 NFL regular season.
Not only will Kansas not be playing in the Championship game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on February 8, despite being once well-backed in the betting UK for the Super Bowl, but they also won’t be featuring in the postseason playoffs for the first time since 2014, which will be a bitter pill to swallow for the Chiefs Kingdom.
It wasn’t a close call, either. The Chiefs were dismal for the best part of this season, finishing with a record of 6-11 and exiting the playoff picture as early as mid-December following a defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers in gameweek 15.
The records that have fallen are staggering. Andy Reid had guided the Chiefs to 10 consecutive playoff appearances, nine straight AFC West titles, and seven consecutive AFC Championship games.
Yet, this year, they’ve had to settle for third in their division—only above the NFL’s worst side, the Las Vegas Raiders—12th in the AFC and 24th in the entire league.
Big changes are needed at Arrowhead Stadium if Kansas want to return to the indomitable force they have been for most of the 2020s. There will be plenty of work going on behind the scenes already to ensure the correct steps are in place to bounce back.
The 2026 Draft will be key to making the franchise more favourable on sports tips sites. The Chiefs will get a top 10 pick for the first time since 2017, when they traded up to get their hands on a certain Patrick Mahomes. That could be massive, not just in bouncing back next season, but in acquiring a top player who could help the franchise for years to come.
There’s also the chance for the Chiefs to trade their ninth pick for additional selections, allowing them to rebuild their roster even further. After all, they won’t need a quarterback, so picking early won’t be the be-all and end-all for Kansas.
Outside of the Draft, though, we still expect big changes at Arrowhead. Long-serving wide receiver Travis Kelce is expected to call time on his love story with the Chiefs. The 63rd overall pick in 2013, Kelce is a three-time Super Bowl champion and 11-time Pro Bowler, but at 36 years old, it’s likely become too taxing on his body.
Then there’s Head Coach Reid. We’ve already mentioned a lot of the 67-year-old’s success during his time with the Chiefs.
He’s one of the greatest coaches in the sport’s history and is still one of the best in the business as things stand. However, there had been reports that the former Philadelphia Eagles HC had been pondering the idea of retirement.
Reid has been quick to pour cold water over those rumours, however, claiming: “I mean, I think I’m coming back, right?
“If they’ll have me back, I’ll come back. You never know in this business. That’s a tough one. But I plan on it, yeah.”
Elite sport is a fickle business, especially when it comes to sacking coaches, but there’s no way the Chiefs are going to consider giving Reid his marching orders in the offseason—not after everything he has done for the franchise.
But Kansas are in unfamiliar territory this offseason. There are hard lessons to be learned from how things have panned out on the field, and a lot of rebuilding to take place before the regular season resumes in September.
However, this is the Chiefs we are talking about. They aren’t going to go away that easily, and as long as they have Mahomes under centre and Reid on the touchline, they have every chance of returning as dangerous as ever next season.
