Khyiris Tonga turned a one-year prove-it deal into the first real payday of his NFL career. Now, after a breakout season in New England, the Patriots are left to replace one of their most dependable rotational pieces.
Former New England Patriots’ defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga has left the building.
Tonga has reportedly agreed to terms with the Kansas City Chiefs on a three-year, $21 million contract with $14 million guaranteed.
A signing in free agency last offseason, Tonga well out-performed his one-year, $2.1 million contract and became a key rotational piece on the interior of New England’s defensive line during their run to Super Bowl LX.
Tonga finished the 2025 season with 20 tackles, 17 stops, one sack, 17 pressures, 13 quarterback hurries and three quarterback hits including the postseason. He ranked as PFF’s 38th highest graded defensive interior lineman (out of 134 qualified players) with an overall grade of 67.2. He had a pass rush grade of 74.3 (18th) and a run defense grade of 54.6 (66th).
More than his impact on defense, Tonga also proved to be a versatile asset on offense for the Patriots in short-yardage situations, moonlighting as a fullback for the New England offense for 18 snaps over the course of seven games.
He certainly wouldn’t have been in the Patriots long-term plans on offense, but his presence helped mitigate the issues caused by not having a true fullback on the roster last year. New England converted tight end Jack Westover to fullback for 2025, but has since signed former Buffalo Bills fullback Reggie Gilliam to fill that role moving forward.
The Patriots attempted to negotiate a contract extension with Tonga during the final weeks of the 2025 regular season, but were unable to come to a resolution. It was reported that Tonga’s price tag had gone up by the time the NFL Scouting Combine rolled around, with several teams expressing interest in his services.
Now, Tonga gets his pay day — with an average annual value of $7 million per year.
A former seventh round selection by the Chicago Bears in 2021 (252nd overall), Tonga spent the first five years of his career as an NFL journeyman before catching on with the Patriots last season. His three-year deal is the first multi-year contract of the defensive tackle’s professional career.
New England will have work to do in replacing the run stuffer, who specialized as the Patriots’ preferred nose tackle for large stretches of 2025, and became a key piece in the middle of the defensive line when starter Milton Williams missed significant time due to a high ankle sprain.
Luckily, the defensive tackle room for the Patriots was already crowded. Along with Williams, New England returns with Christian Barmore, Cory Durden, Eric Gregory, and 2025 fourth-round pick Joshua Farmer — who was placed on season-ending injured reserve during the regular season last year.
Tonga’s loss will certainly be felt by the Patriots, but they have options currently in the room to fill the gap. We’ll see how well they’re able to do so, or if they’ll add another body to specialize as a replacement nose tackle for Tonga.
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