The 2026 NFL free agency period doesn’t officially open until Wednesday, March 11, at 4:00 p.m. ET, but the frenzy will start immediately as the week begins.

The NFL’s legal tampering period begins on Monday, March 9, at Noon ET. During this period, clubs will officially be able to negotiate with pending free agents. While they can’t formally execute new deals until Wednesday, there will be a flood of reports that contracts have been agreed upon across the league.

Below, we’ll track every move made by the Kansas City Chiefs from the start of the legal tampering period throughout the various waves of free agency. Here, you’ll find the Chiefs’ various 2026 NFL free agency happenings, including reported free agent signings, contract tenders, trades, cuts, free-agent departures, contract extensions, and restructures.

Keep track of everything down below:

Chiefs’ moves before the legal tampering period

• Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ contract restructured to free salary cap space: Brett Veach took his annual visit to the Bank of Mahomes.
• Chiefs cut DE Mike Danna to clear cap space: A necessary decision to get the Chiefs to salary cap compliance. Danna saw a down year in 2025, which made this decision that much easier. He leaves Kansas City a two-time Super Bowl champion.
• Chiefs inform RT Jawaan Taylor he’ll be released or traded by March 11: Gone are the days of illegal formation and false start penalties. The Chiefs opted for salary cap savings over continuity at right tackle. Even though Taylor signed a four-year deal, this was always the reality he faced with his $27.3M cap hit in 2026. Taylor was officially released on March 4.
• Chiefs trade CB Trent McDuffie to the Rams for a haul of draft picks: After failing to come to terms on a long-term contract extension, Brett Veach shipped McDuffie to the Rams for a haul of draft picks. The move also cleared up a bunch of salary cap space, putting the team further in the green ahead of free agency.
• Chiefs re-sign LS James Winchester on one-year deal: Kansas City brings back one of their longest-tenured players for a 12th season.
• Chiefs won’t tender restricted free agent OL Mike Caliendo: The Chiefs will have a new interior offensive lineman No. 4 during the 2026 NFL season, unless Caliendo comes back on a deal cheaper than the $3.52 million they would have owed on the right of first refusal tender.
• Did you hear that Travis Kelce’s mom, Donna Kelce, is renovating her home in Florida?

Chiefs’ 2026 pending free agent list

• QB Gardner Minshew (signing with the Arizona Cardinals)
• TE Travis Kelce (Re-signing with the Chiefs)
• TE Robert Tonyan
• RB Kareem Hunt
• RB Isiah Pacheco (signing with Detroit Lions)
• RB Dameon Pierce
• WR Marquise Brown (signing with Philadelphia Eagles)
• WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
• WR Tyquan Thornton (re-signing with Chiefs)
• DE Charles Omenihu (signed by Washington Commanders)
• DE Janarius Robinson
• DT Jerry Tillery (signed by Indianapolis Colts)
• DT Derrick Nnadi (signed by Indianapolis Colts)
• DT Mike Pennel
• CB Jaylen Watson (signing with LA Rams)
• CB Josh Williams (signing with Tennessee Titans)
• CB Nazeeh Johnson
• S Deon Bush
• S Bryan Cook (signing with the Cincinnati Bengals)
• S Mike Edwards
• LB Leo Chenal (signing with the Washington Commanders)
• LB Jack Cochrane
• OL Mike Caliendo (RFA) – (re-signed by Chiefs)
• RB Keontay Ingram (RFA)
• P Matt Araiza (ERFA) – (extended offer)
• CB Eric Scott Jr. (ERFA)
• WR Nikko Remigio (ERFA) – (extended offer)

3/9: Day 1 of Legal Tampering, tracking every Chiefs roster move

• No retirement for Chiefs TE Travis Kelce: No. 87 will re-sign with Kansas City to return for a 14th season.
• The Chiefs are set to sign RB Kenneth Walker III. The Super Bowl LX MVP will help Kansas City’s running game return to prominence.
• The Los Angeles Rams are signing Chiefs CB Jaylen Watson. Watson will join Trent McDuffie in LA.
• The Chiefs will sign Patriots DT Khyiris Tonga, who brings a rare skillset that Kansas City hasn’t seen since Dontari Poe.
• The Cincinnati Bengals are signing Chiefs S Bryan Cook. Cook played for the Cincinnati Bearcats in college and is a Cincinnati, Ohio native, so this means a return home for Cook.
• The Arizona Cardinals are signing Chiefs backup QB Gardner Minshew. It’s a one-year deal worth up to $8.25 million for Minshew, putting him on the board for a compensatory pick.
• The Tennessee Titans are signing Chiefs CB Josh Williams. He’ll join former Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi in Tennessee, where he’ll likely have a chance to start.
• The Chiefs have signed S Alohi Gilman to a three-year deal. He’ll reunite with his college teammate, Drue Tranquill, in Kansas City after spending most of his career in the AFC West with the Chargers.

3/10: Day 2 of Legal Tampering, tracking every Chiefs roster move

• The Detroit Lions will sign Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco. He gets a two-year deal and will play for a head coach, Dan Campbell, who is well-suited to him.
• The Washington Commanders will sign Chiefs LB Leo Chenal. Kansas City had a lot of money tied up at linebacker between Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill, which made a three-year, $24.75M deal with the Chiefs unlikely.
• The Chiefs have brought back ERFA wide receiver Nikko Remigio. While his agency framed this as a re-signing, I believe he was tendered a contract. That means he’ll have a one-year non-guaranteed contract and isn’t necessarily guaranteed a roster spot.

3/11: Free agency officially begins

• The Chiefs have brought back ERFA P Matt Araiza. He’s receiving an ERFA tender, along with Nikko Remigio. It’s a one-year non-guaranteed $1.075 million.
• The Indianapolis Colts have signed Chiefs DT Derrick Nnadi. The last of Brett Veach’s 2018 NFL Draft picks is no longer with the team.
• The Washington Commanders have signed Chiefs DE Charles Omenihu. It’s a one-year $4 million deal for Omenihu, worth up to $7 million with incentives.

3/12: Free agency Day 2

• The Chiefs have signed former Miami Dolphins CB Kader Kohou. He’s coming off a season-ending knee injury, but has since been cleared medically to return to action. This signing has some serious boom potential, with Kohou potentially sliding into the slot as a starter.
• The Chiefs have signed former Arizona Cardinals RB Emari Demercado. Surprisingly productive in limited opportunities. Projects as a third-down back and depth for Kansas City.
• The Chiefs restructured LB Drue Tranquill’s contract. This was reported on 3/12, but it occurred at an earlier date. He reduced his cap hit by $2.5 million.

3/13: Free Agency Day 3

• The Colts signed Chiefs DT Derrick Nnadi. He’s now Indianapolis’ problem… until Brett Veach trades for him at the midseason mark.

3/14: Free Agency Day 4

• The Chiefs are re-signing OL Mike Caliendo on a one-year deal. This comes after they decided not to tender him a restricted free agent offer.

3/16: The Chiefs find a backup quarterback

• The Chiefs traded to acquire New York Jets QB Justin Fields. The team has now found a backup quarterback with Patrick Mahomes recovering from a knee injury.

3/17: The Chiefs lose two more players in free agency

• The Eagles signed Chiefs WR Hollywood Brown. It’s a one-year deal for Brown that falls in the range
• The Colts signed Chiefs DT Jerry Tillery. Make that two former Chiefs defensive tackles in Indy for 2026.

More to come…

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