Kansas City Chiefs draft pick waived following 2024 cardiac arrest
It always sucks when draft picks don't work out for your team. It hurts even more when those draft picks don't work out because they have health issues. You want these kids to succeed in everything they do, and if they're Kansas City Chiefs draft picks, you know there is a higher chance of that. […]
It always sucks when draft picks don't work out for your team. It hurts even more when those draft picks don't work out because they have health issues. You want these kids to succeed in everything they do, and if they're Kansas City Chiefs draft picks, you know there is a higher chance of that.
The Chiefs are a successful franchise and in the middle of a dynasty. Being placed on a winning team certainly helps rookies and young players get their careers started off the right way. And it also helps that the franchise doesn't often miss on players.
But, when something happens that is out of the control of the players and the franchise, that's when it really hurts and sucks. And, we can assume that is what's happened with a Chiefs' recent draft pick. We don't know for sure what has happened, but it does come off that way.
On Saturday, the Chiefs made a slew of transactions, one of which was waiving EDGE BJ Thompson, a former fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. In 2024, Thompson suffered a cardiac arrest at the team's practice facility.
Kansas City Chiefs waive BJ Thompson
From Stephen F. Austin State University, the 6’6”, 243-pound athlete had 15.5 sacks in college (2020–2021). He played only one game with the Chiefs in 2023, recording two tackles in a Week 18 win against the Los Angeles Chargers.
In June 2024, Thompson suffered a seizure and cardiac arrest during a Chiefs meeting. The team’s medical staff revived him with CPR and a defibrillator, and he was discharged from the hospital four days later. He recovered enough to attend the Chiefs’ Super Bowl ring ceremony but stayed on the non-football injury list for 2024, unable to play.
Thompson was waived with the "injury" designation, which means that should he clear waivers, he'll revert to injured reserve. That means there's still a chance he could recover and return from whatever ailment caused the seizures and cardiac arrest. Obviously, the Chiefs and the fan base wish Thomspon the best in whatever comes next for him, football or otherwise.
