Kansas City Chiefs S Jaden Hicks has gone from ascending breakout star to afterthought in disappointing 2025 NFL season

The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t get the defensive breakout that was expected from S Jaden Hicks in 2025.

Charles Goldman — NFL Managing Editor
Add as preferred source on Google
Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Kansas City Chiefs S Jaden Hicks’ 2025 NFL season somewhat mirrors the team’s year to this point, with expectations sky-high after prior successes, only to fall flat.

In Week 14 vs. the Houston Texans, it felt like things hit a low point for Hicks. The second-year safety out of Washington State played just 11 defensive snaps in the secondary compared to 37 snaps from Mike Edwards, who was signed from the practice squad last week after Chris Roland-Wallace landed on injured reserve. So, how did we get to this point, and why has Hicks seemingly fallen off his breakout trajectory?

Jaden Hicks was a star in the making in 2024.

Hicks burst onto the scene as a rookie for the Chiefs, working behind Justin Reid, Bryan Cook, and Chamarri Conner in 2024, playing just over 30% of the defensive snaps. Despite the low snap count, Hicks was one of the team’s most productive defenders, leading the team with three interceptions. He was pretty impressive in coverage overall, averaging just 2.6 yards of separation and giving up just 2.3 yards after the catch allowed per reception.

With the departure of Justin Reid in free agency, Hicks was expected to take on a much larger role for Kansas City’s defense in 2025. Reid even told reporters he felt Hicks was a star in the making and had the tools to succeed in his place. While Hicks is playing more this season, he’s making much less of an impact and is hardly the breakout star that he was expected to be.

Chiefs S Jaden Hicks quick facts

  • College: Washington State
  • Drafted: Fourth round, 133 overall in 2024 NFL Draft
  • Age: 23

Steve Spagnuolo and Dave Merritt failed to avoid the dreaded Sophomore Slump with Hicks.

Chiefs fans might look at the snap counts from Week 14’s loss and say, “Hicks isn’t getting enough snaps.” The unfortunate reality is that this was likely a sub-package-based issue from a singular game. The week prior, Hicks played 60 defensive snaps, the second-highest single-game mark of his career and the highest mark in a meaningful game (previously, he played 71 defensive snaps vs. the Broncos in Week 18 of 2024).

Hicks has already played more defensive snaps (353) than he did a season ago (330) with four games left to be played, averaging 27 defensive snaps per game over the course of 13 games. The problem? He’s been infinitely less productive with 31 total tackles, no interceptions, a single QB hit, and three passes defended. So, what gives? It feels very much like a Sophomore Slump, but I’m not sure that the blame rests squarely on Hicks’ shoulders.

If you look at the position splits (shoutout to PFF), Hicks was playing a lot more free safety in 2024 than he has in the 2025 NFL season. He had 154 snaps during the regular season at the free safety position compared to just 79 snaps so far this season. Even beyond that, it feels like there’s a lot less schematic emphasis on getting Hicks to play downhill in the run game or to work as a blitzer when he’s lined up in the box, compared to a year ago. It feels like he’s an afterthought this season as opposed to a weapon in that regard.

What does the future hold for Jaden Hicks?

Right now, the Chiefs aren’t putting Hicks in the best position to succeed or build on what he accomplished in his rookie season, despite ample opportunities to do so. It seems that Hicks’ usage will continue to vary on a game-by-game basis, which makes it hard to know if he’ll get ample opportunities to prove himself or if he’ll even play a role that best suits him.

If Bryan Cooks departs in free agency in 2026, there will be even more snaps up for grabs. Will he be the one to earn those snaps, though? His end of the bargain is to master his playbook and ensure he can help direct traffic in the defensive secondary better than he has so far this season. He needs to know not only his responsibilities on every play, but also those of the other 5-6 defensive backs on the field at any given time. When the little things have very much been the downfall of the Chiefs this season, the coaches need to trust that you’re going to be at the right place at the right time. I don’t think that’s currently the case with Hicks, despite his impressive rookie campaign in 2024.

Related Articles