With Kareem Hunt and Samaje Perine eligible for free agency this month, Isiah Pacheco and Carson Steele are the only running backs the Chiefs have under contract for 2025 (excepting futures deal signee Keaontay Ingram). As such, it would come as no surprise if Kansas City were to explore the veteran RB market, as Dianna Russini of The Athletic writes (subscription required).
The free agent class of running backs is not as robust as it was in 2024, when Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry changed teams and had tremendous impacts on the fortunes of their new clubs. The Vikings’ Aaron Jones is perhaps the top option that could be available, though he and Minnesota may come to terms on a new deal before free agency opens. Other high-profile targets include Nick Chubb, who (understandably) struggled a bit in 2024 after suffering a devastating knee injury early in the 2023 slate, and Najee Harris, who is durable and steady but who lacks explosiveness.
Of course, if Pacheco can recapture the form he displayed over his first two years in the league from 2022-23, the Chiefs would be more than happy to have him atop their depth chart while simply seeking a complementary talent this offseason. Unfortunately, Pacheco suffered a fractured fibula in Week 2 of the 2024 season, and though he was ultimately able to make it back on the field, he failed to hit the 4.0-yards-per-carry mark in any of his final seven games of the campaign (including playoffs).
Hunt and Perine also failed to impress, so KC is interested in looking elsewhere for an established back to provide some insurance at the RB spot. And, while Pacheco is eligible for an extension for the first time, Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline says the Chiefs will not enter into contract talks until after the season gets underway and they can see if Pachecho looks like his old self.
Such a development would certainly go a long way towards the Chiefs’ aim of winning the AFC Championship for the fourth consecutive year. The Rutgers product averaged 4.7 yards per carry over his first 375 regular season totes from 2022-23, and he recorded a 4.3-YPC average across 118 rushes during Kansas City’s Super Bowl runs at the end of both of those seasons.
This year’s draft class of RBs is said to be one of the deepest in years, and after GM Brett Veach & Co. struck gold on Pacheco in the seventh round of the 2022 draft, they could certainly consider reinforcing the depth chart with a rookie even if they add a veteran before then.