After missing out on the chance to make history by pulling off a Super Bowl three-peat thanks to their 40-22 drubbing last month against the Eagles, there was never a doubt that the Kansas City Chiefs were going to head into the 2025 season a different team.
The question is whether they'll be a better team than the one that went 15-2 and won the AFC championship before the fateful matchup against Philadelphia.
Financial restraints will be tight in Kansas City, and we've already seen the team make one difficult choice by trading away star offensive lineman Joe Thuney to Chicago for the scant price of a 2026 fourth-round pick.
Change will come to the defense, too, however. Ultimately, it is likely the Chiefs will have to wave goodbye to either linebacker Nick Bolton or safety Justin Reid. ESPN, in predicting some best fits for top free agents on Thursday, suggested that it will be Bolton who bolts.
And, in a move that would sting all the more, the site projects him to land with the Broncos.
NFL analyst Matt Bowen wrote: "Bolton would be a big upgrade for coordinator Vance Joseph's defense. Bolton fits with the Broncos as a downhill thumper against the run -- he had 11 tackles for loss last season. He lacks elite second-level range in coverage, but he has four career interceptions."
Bolton was a second-round pick for the Chiefs in 2021 and has been a starter in the middle since 2021. He missed half of 2023 with injuries, but played 16 games last year.
Bolton is the No. 3 linebacker on the free-agent list, according to Pro Football Focus, and is projected to land a four-year, $60 million contract, a deal the Chiefs would have a hard time matching.
Wrote PFF: "The Chiefs have consistently cycled through rookie contract players in the back seven of their defense and generally let them hit free agency. ... Bolton has been a staple at the middle linebacker spot almost from day one. Bolton is a bit stiff when flipping his hips and can get picked on at times in coverage, but he is an absolute bruiser coming forward in the run game."
