The Kansas City Chiefs struggled mightily when it came to pressuring the quarterback and should target a member of the Seattle Seahawks in free agency.
The Kansas City Chiefs have several obvious upgrades to make but don’t have a lot of salary cap space to work with.
The Chiefs are reportedly between $50 and $60 million over the salary cap which makes it incredibly difficult to sign bigger-name players in free agency. Fortunately, there are ways to work around being over the cap, like restructuring contracts and cutting players for relief.
Kansas City will likely approach their stars like quarterback Patrick Mahomes and defensive tackle Chris Jones about restructuring their contracts because if they don’t, the Chiefs probably won’t be able to address what flawed them the most in 2025.
The two biggest needs for the Chiefs are running back and edge rusher. Running backs are so disrespected and get paid little in comparison to quarterbacks while edge rushers are the second-highest paid position group on average.
Even if the Chiefs sign a big name to play running back like Breece Hall, they could play their cards right and still sign an impactful edge rusher as well. A linebacker like Seattle Seahawk Boye Mafe would fit defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme well.
“Mafe has a quick first step, which allows him to attack the edges of offensive tackles. His effort level and pursuit from the backside also lead to second-reaction sacks,” ESPN’s Matt Bowen wrote Wednesday. “Mafe can still refine his pass-rushing plan, but the traits are there to produce in a system that schemes favorable matchups out of multiple fronts. Mafe had two sacks and 33 pressures this season.”
Mafe is a versatile four-year pro who hasn’t gotten much playing time this season. Though he played in all 17 regular season games, he logged just 559 snaps. Mafe is typically more effective as a pass-rusher than defending the run but has improved in that area over the years.
Mafe is a freak athlete and has shown raw power and quickness. His explosiveness on blitzes is impressive and his combination of power and speed help him win his matchups but his arm length has posed concerns in the past. Mafe can play in coverage if he needs to and has shown effectiveness in that area though his strengths reside in getting to the quarterback.
Mafe recorded 31 total tackles in 2025 with five passes defended, two sacks and one forced fumble. He also had 36 hurries (15th in National Football League) and two batted passes (11th in NFL).
In 2023, Mafe recorded 52 total tackles with nine sacks, 16 QB hits and nine tackles for loss. He followed up his nine sacks with six more in 2024.
Although the Seahawks phased Mafe out of their game plan more and more each season since Head Coach Mike Macdonald arrived, he has a ton of upside and could help a Chiefs defensive line that struggled to get consistent pressure in 2025.