What's next for Kansas City after Super Bowl loss

The immovable object that is the Kansas City Chiefs moved. The franchise's bid to become the NFL's first-ever three-peat Super Bowl champion fell flat on its face in Super Bowl LIX in the form of a 40-22 shellacking by the Philadelphia Eagles. 

In the aftermath of this defeat, foundational questions have sprouted up regarding whether this iteration of the club will be intact going forward or if they'll need to enter a new phase of the Patrick Mahomes era. Considering that they have Mahomes, they'll always remain in Super Bowl contention, but the cast around him may start to look different, potentially as soon as next season. 

Here's a look at some of the key questions facing the Chiefs as they try to pick up the pieces from this loss.

The Travis Kelce conundrum 

As they now look toward the offseason, the first question to ponder is the future of Travis Kelce, the go-to option for Mahomes throughout their dynasty. Reports leading up to the Super Bowl indicated that Kelce, who caught four passes for 39 yards in the loss to Philadelphia, could ponder retirement this offseason.

Kelce is a bona fide Hall of Fame tight end and has been a key cog for the offense during this Chiefs dynasty, so his possible departure from the franchise would be seismic. 

Kansas City has done well in adding some high-caliber pass-catching talent like Xavier Worthy and, when healthy, Rashee Rice. That said, they'll need to acquire and develop someone to take on being the focal point of the receiving game if Kelce elects to hang it up. 

Can they solidify the offensive line?

One of the key reasons why the Chiefs were on the losing end of this Super Bowl was due to their inability to block the Eagles up front. The Kansas City offensive line allowed Philly to total 26 pressures and six sacks on a 42.9 pressure rate that included zero blitzes. That's the type of fatal flaw that will carry over in 2025 if they don't address it over the offseason. 

For as well as the Chiefs have drafted in recent years (particularly on defense), identifying talent at offensive tackle has been a blind spot. Over the previous two drafts, Kansas City has spent Day 2 picks on offensive tackles Kingsley Suamataia (second round, 2024) and Wanya Morris (third round, 2023). Suamataia began this season as the starting left tackle but was quickly benched for Morris early in the year. Then, Morris struggled, which eventually led to All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney kicking out to tackle during this playoff run. 

Similar to how the Chiefs went out and signed Orlando Brown Jr. after their offensive line deficiencies were exposed in their Super Bowl loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV, they'll need to solidify the line this offseason. However, that's easier said than done. The Chiefs currently have just $11.5 million in available cap space this offseason, which is hardly enough to bring in multiple high-caliber offensive tackles. So, while free agents like Alaric Jackson and Ronnie Stanley could be on their radar, they need to get their books in order. 

Can they add/keep talent with limited resources?

Jumping off of that ladder point above, Kansas City could be limited in its resources this offseason, specifically as it relates to free agency. That $11.5 million in available space currently places them in the bottom half of the league. Of course, there will be restructuring and maneuvering to give them some more breathing room, but it'll still take a lot for the Chiefs to not only add to their roster but keep core players intact. 

Pro Bowl right guard Trey Smith is on the verge of hitting the open market, along with safety Justin Reid and linebacker Nick Bolton. On top of that key trio, veteran receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown are also entering free agency. For every one of those players they can't retain, it further creates another hole on the roster on top of all the other areas that need to be addressed.