New Chiefs DT Jerry Tillery reveals why Kansas City was the perfect fit for him in 2025 NFL free agency
The Kansas City Chiefs have a new face in the defensive line room after signing free agent DT Jerry Tillery on a one-year deal. The Chiefs will mark the fourth NFL team for the former first-round pick out of Notre Dame, but it has the potential to be his best stop yet. Why did Kansas City […]
The Kansas City Chiefs have a new face in the defensive line room after signing free agent DT Jerry Tillery on a one-year deal.
The Chiefs will mark the fourth NFL team for the former first-round pick out of Notre Dame, but it has the potential to be his best stop yet. Why did Kansas City make sense after a one-year stint in the NFC with the Minnesota Vikings? It all came down to fit.
“There was a lot on the table, but the Kansas City Chiefs have a lot to offer," Tillery told reporters last Thursday. "In terms of consistency, winning culture, and style of play. These are things I emulate in my game, so it felt like a perfect fit.”
This marks Tillery's third stop in the AFC West during his NFL career after being drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers and claimed by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022. Kansas City actually placed a waiver claim on Tillery, and had they succeeded, it's very likely that he'd be a two-time Super Bowl champion right now.
He's all too familiar with the team and its accomplishments from his time in the AFC West. He wants to help make it 10 consecutive AFC West titles for Kansas City.
“Well, of course – like you said, I’ve played against the Chiefs six years of my career now. Four (years) in L.A. and then two in Las Vegas. I’ve been to Kansas City a couple of times now. So, I’ve been watching this team closely my whole career. Obviously, they have – I guess we now have been on top of the AFC West for a long time, and my job here is to continue that dominance.”
As for the aforementioned style of play in K.C., Tillery sees a similar aggressive mindset between himself and Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
"I like to get after the quarterback and, you know, blitz teams and make it hard on them," Tillery said. "And so, to be aggressive on defense is how you have to play. And that's my nature. That's my style. I think you know what Spags is doing, he has obviously won a lot of games, and you know, to be with the Chiefs now and see how they do it is going to be great for my game, for my career."
While Tillery is expected to primarily align on the defensive interior, he has shown some versatility to play up and down the defensive line during his career. Along with the re-signing of Charles Omenihu, Tillery should give Spags another defensive chess piece to do what he does best along the defensive line.
"I think it's wherever I can be out there and wherever it is on the line to help our team win," Tillery concluded. "That's what I want to do. You know, if that's outside or inside, I think I can do both. I got both bells in my game. And so I'm able to help us however we can. And I think it's with the right people, with the right group, you can really do something special. And I think that's what we've got here."
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