2021 Kansas City Chiefs season
| 2021 Kansas City Chiefs season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | The Hunt family |
| General manager | Brett Veach |
| Head coach | Andy Reid |
| Home field | Arrowhead Stadium |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The 2021 season will be the Kansas City Chiefs' upcoming 52nd season in the National Football League, their 62nd overall and their ninth under head coach Andy Reid. The Chiefs will attempt to become the fourth team in NFL history to play in three straight Super Bowls. They will attempt to win their second Super Bowl title in three years, following their 9–31 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV.
Season Summary
On March 4, 2021, the Chiefs announced that they had officially renamed Arrowhead Stadium, GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.[1] The Chiefs lost two of their longest tenured players in the offseason. Tackle Eric Fisher was released[2] and fullback Anthony Sherman retired.[3] Both players joined the Chiefs in 2013. The Chiefs will open the season on September 12 against the Cleveland Browns, who they defeated in the 2020–21 NFL playoffs.
Offseason
Coaching staff changes
| Old coach | Reason | Position | New coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deland McCullough[4] | Accepted job at Indiana[4] | Running backs coach | Greg Lewis |
| Britt Reid[5] | Not resigned for disciplinary reasons[5] |
Linebackers/outside linebackers coach |
Ken Flajole |
| Greg Lewis | Title change to Running backs coach |
Wide receivers | Joe Bleymaier |
| Joe Bletmaier | Title change to Wide receivers coach |
Pass game analyst / assistant quarterbacks |
David Giradi |
| David Giradi | Title change to Pass game analyst / Assistant quarterbacks |
Offensive quality control | Connor Embree |
| Connor Embree | Title change to Offensive quality control |
Defensive assistant | Donald D'Alesio |
Players lost
Below are players who were on the roster at the end of the 2020 season, but were either released or did not re-sign after their contract expired. If a player resigns during the offseason, their name will be removed from the list.
| Player | Position | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Le'Veon Bell | RB | UFA |
| Bashaud Breeland | CB | UFA |
| Alex Brown | CB | ERFA |
| Eric Fisher | T | Released |
| Antonio Hamilton | CB | UFA |
| Daniel Kilgore | C | UFA |
| Tanoh Kpassagnon | DE | UFA |
| Alex Okafor | DE | UFA |
| Kelechi Osemele | G | UFA |
| Mike Pennel | DT | UFA |
| Austin Reiter | C | UFA |
| Mitchell Schwartz | T | Released |
| Charvarius Ward | CB | RFA |
| Sammy Watkins | WR | UFA |
| Damien Williams | RB | Released |
| Damien Wilson | LB | UFA |
| Bryan Witzmann | G | Released |
| Deon Yelder | TE | RFA |
Retirements
| Player | Position | NFL seasons | Seasons with the Chiefs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Sherman | FB | 10 | 8 |
Players added
| Player | Position |
|---|---|
| Kyle Long | G |
| Joe Thuney | G |
| Blake Bell | TE |
| Anthony Gordon | QB |
| Jordan Ta'amu | QB |
| Gehrig Dieter* | WR |
| Dalton Schoen | WR |
| Chad Williams | WR |
| Antonio Callaway | WR |
| Jody Fortson* | WR |
| Maurice Ffrench* | WR |
| Derrick Gore | RB |
| Sean Culkin | TE |
| Evan Baylis* | TE |
| Prince Tega Wanogho | T |
| Bryan Witzmann* | T |
| Darryl Williams* | G |
| Tyler Clark | DT |
| Demone Harris* | DE |
| Austin Edwards* | DE |
| Omari Cobb* | LB |
| Emmanuel Smith* | LB |
| Deandre Baker* | CB |
| Rodney Clemons | S |
| Jarran Reed | DT |
| Elijah McGuire | RB |
| Michael Burton | FB |
| Austin Blythe | C |
| Tajae Sharpe | WR |
| Daurice Fountain | WR |
*Finished 2020 season on the Chiefs practice squad.
Trades
Listed below are trades were a player was included in the trade.
| Team | Received | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | T Orlando Brown Jr. 2nd-round selection 2021 6th-round selection 2022 |
1st-round selection 2021 3rd-round selection 2021 4th-round selection 2021 5th-round selection 2022 |
| Minnesota Vikings | CB Mike Hughes 7th-round selection 2022 |
6th-round selection 2022 |
Draft
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 58 | Nick Bolton | Linebacker | Missouri |
| 63 | Creed Humphrey | Center | Oklahoma | |
| 4 | 144* | Joshua Kaindoh | Defensive end | Florida State |
| 5 | 162 | Noah Gray | Tight end | Duke |
| 181* | Cornell Powell | Wide receiver | Clemson | |
| 6 | 226 | Trey Smith | Guard | Tennessee |
| * | Compensatory selection |
|---|
Trades
- The Chiefs traded a sixth-round selection (213th overall) in the 2021 draft to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a seventh-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.[6]
- The Chiefs received a sixth-round selection (207th overall) in the 2021 draft from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a seventh-round selection (258th overall) in the 2021 draft and running back DeAndre Washington.[7]
- The Chiefs traded their first-round selection (31st overall), third-round selection (94th overall), fourth-round selection (136th overall) in the 2021 draft, and a fifth-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr., a second-round selection (58th overall) in the 2021 draft, and a sixth-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft.[8]
- The Chiefs traded their fourth-round selection (175th overall) and their sixth-round selection (207th overall) to the New York Jets in exchange for the Jets fourth-round selection (162nd overall) and a sixth-round selection (226th overall).
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Zayne Anderson | S | BYU |
| Dicaprio Bootle | CB | Nebraska |
| Shane Buechele | QB | SMU |
| Marlon Character | CB | Louisville |
| Riley Cole | LB | South Alabama |
| Malik Herring | DE | Georgia |
| Devon Key | S | Western Kentucky |
| Jaylon McClain-Sapp | CB | Marshall |
| Manny Patterson | CB | Maine |
Signed and released in the offseason
Below are players who were signed and released in the offseason before playing for the team.
| Player | Position |
|---|---|
| Sean Culkin | TE |
| Jordan Ta'amu | QB |
| Tajae Sharpe | WR |
| Jaylon McClain-Sapp | CB |
Staff
|
| |||||
Current roster
Preseason
| Week | Date | Time (CT) | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | TV | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 14 | 7:30 p.m. | at San Francisco 49ers | Levi's Stadium | Chiefs TV | |||
| 2 | August 20 | 7:00 p.m. | at Arizona Cardinals | State Farm Stadium | ESPN | |||
| 3 | August 27 | 7:00 p.m. | Minnesota Vikings | Arrowhead Stadium | Chiefs TV |
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Time (CT) | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | TV | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 12 | 3:25 p.m. | Cleveland Browns | Arrowhead Stadium | CBS | |||
| 2 | September 19 | 7:20 p.m. | at Baltimore Ravens | M&T Bank Stadium | NBC | |||
| 3 | September 26 | 12:00 p.m. | Los Angeles Chargers | Arrowhead Stadium | CBS | |||
| 4 | October 3 | 12:00 p.m. | at Philadelphia Eagles | Lincoln Financial Field | CBS | |||
| 5 | October 10 | 7:20 p.m. | Buffalo Bills | Arrowhead Stadium | NBC | |||
| 6 | October 17 | 12:00 p.m. | at Washington Football Team | FedExField | CBS | |||
| 7 | October 24 | 12:00 p.m. | at Tennessee Titans | Nissan Stadium | CBS | |||
| 8 | November 1 | 7:15 p.m. | New York Giants | Arrowhead Stadium | ESPN | |||
| 9 | November 7 | 3:25 p.m. | Green Bay Packers | Arrowhead Stadium | Fox | |||
| 10 | November 14 | 7:20 p.m. | at Las Vegas Raiders | Allegiant Stadium | NBC | |||
| 11 | November 21 | 3:25 p.m. | Dallas Cowboys | Arrowhead Stadium | Fox | |||
| 12 | Bye | |||||||
| 13 | December 5 | 12:00 p.m. | Denver Broncos | Arrowhead Stadium | CBS | |||
| 14 | December 12 | 12:00 p.m. | Las Vegas Raiders | Arrowhead Stadium | CBS | |||
| 15 | December 16 | 7:20 p.m. | at Los Angeles Chargers | SoFi Stadium | Fox/NFLN/ Prime Video |
|||
| 16 | December 26 | 3:25 p.m. | Pittsburgh Steelers | Arrowhead Stadium | CBS | |||
| 17 | January 2 | 12:00 p.m. | at Cincinnati Bengals | Paul Brown Stadium | CBS | |||
| 18 | January 9 | 3:25 p.m. | at Denver Broncos | Empower Field at Mile High | CBS | |||
Notes:
- Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
- Networks and times from Weeks 5–11 and 13–18 are subject to change as a result of flexible scheduling; games not played on a Sunday (Weeks 8 and 15) are exempt.
- Week 18 is subject to being flexed to Saturday, January 8.
References
- ^ "Chiefs and GEHA Announce Naming Rights Agreement for GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium". Chiefs.com.
- ^ Patra, Kevin (March 11, 2021). "Chiefs release starting tackles Eric Fisher, Mitchell Schwartz". NFL.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ "Chiefs' Anthony Sherman announces he's retiring". KMBC.com.
- ^ a b "Chiefs RBs coach Deland McCullough leaving for Indiana". NBC Sports. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ a b "Reports: Britt Reid no longer employed by Chiefs; NFL to investigate former assistant coach". USAToday.com.
- ^ Goldman, Charles (April 25, 2020). "Chiefs trade up into seventh round, select Tulane CB Thakarius 'BoPete' Keyes". USA Today. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ Smith, Michael David (November 3, 2020). "Chiefs trade DeAndre Washington to Dolphins". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- ^ "Chiefs acquire OT Orlando Brown in trade with Ravens". NFL. April 23, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.