The Kansas City Chiefs elected not to tender guard Mike Caliendo, but now they're bringing him back as a depth piece.
The Kansas City Chiefs have re-signed backup guard Mike Caliendo, with the move following an earlier decision to to tender Caliendo as a restricted free agent, according to Ely Allen of ProFootballRumors.com. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN also reported that Caliendo had “numerous offers elsewhere,” according to his agent, but he wanted to return to Kansas City and will be signing a one-year deal.
Caliendo is a former college starter who signed on with the Chiefs back in 2022 as an undrafted free agent out of Western Michigan, according to Allen, where he started at guard for four of his six college seasons. The guard turned down NFL offers and a chance to go to medical school to play extra seasons at Western Michigan, where he earned honors as a first team All-MAC player and an Academic All-American athlete.
That success translated to Kansas City, where Caliendo got a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Chiefs practice squad during his rookie year. He then signed a reserve/futures deal to stay with the Chiefs, and in his second season he made the 53-man roster and appeared in 12 games, mostly on special teams. That stretch also included four playoff games as Caliendo got his second Super Bowl ring.
Caliendo has been a spot starter and part-time player for the last two seasons. In 2024, he made three starts at left guard when the Chiefs shifted lineman Joe Thuney out to left tackle, and those starts included multiple playoff games as well as a Super Bowl start when Kansas City lost to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Caliendo also filled in for lineman Trey Smith last year when Smith got hurt, with those starts coming at right guard. He returns as a versatile depth piece who’s shown the ability to fill in when necessary, which is something the Chiefs will need after releasing right tackle Jawaan Taylor recently to add cap space.
Another factor in Caliendo’s return is the return of offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who was rehired to restore discipline in an offense that was plagued by penalties, an inability to protect the passer, and drops from receivers when quarterback Patrick Mahomes was able to find time to make plays.
Caliendo can expect competition to earn his roster spot, but he’s used to that. The Chiefs will likely use some of the draft capital they got in the recent Trent McDuffie trade to add more depth on the offensive line as the Chiefs look to rebound from their disappointing 6-11 season.