The Kansas City Chiefs will have several big decisions to make throughout the 2026 NFL free agency period, and the latest Week 18 news and rumors suggest that one of those decisions could be made for them.
The Athletic’s KC insider Jesse Newell detailed safety Bryan Cook’s upcoming free agent market on January 1, and the beat reporter made it pretty clear that he does not expect the former second-round pick to re-sign with the Chiefs this spring.
“Cook’s future with Kansas City remains uncertain at best,” Newell noted within his article.
“The Chiefs don’t project to have much salary-cap room before the 2026 season, while Cook should be in demand,” he explained. “Spotrac, for instance, calculates Cook’s market value at $14.4 million annually; previous history also suggests he’ll be in line for a multi-year deal.”
Although Cook has developed into an important cog in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s system, his departure would line up with recent history.
General manager Brett Veach tends to let the safety position walk in free agency. He did so with ex-playoff captain and Super Bowl champion starter Tyrann Mathieu and two-time Super Bowl champion starter Justin Reid , as well as former draft pick Juan Thornhill and more.
It’s just not a position that Veach has prioritized spending big money on, and Cook appears primed to get a generous contract from a secondary-needy franchise.
Bryan Cook Has Shown Durability, Leadership & Dependability With Chiefs
GettyKansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook after his Super Bowl interception in February of 2025.
Unfortunately, the same reasons Spagnuolo would probably love to retain Cook are the same reasons another team will likely offer him a large deal.
Outside of one injury at the tail end of his sophomore season, Cook has been incredibly durable and dependable. He appeared in 16 games as a rookie before earning a full-time starting job. Since then, he’s started 45 regular season games and 3 playoff outings from 2023 through 2025.
Cook is often praised for his leadership on and off the field. It didn’t take long for him to turn into a vocal presence on the back end, taking over for Mathieu in this regard.
The second-round talent has never been the most glaring impact playmaker, but he’s generally been very solid in multiple areas. Over his four-year career with the Chiefs, Cook has racked up over 250 total tackles, 4 interceptions, 4 tackles for a loss, 1.0 sack, 2 QB hits, and 17 pass breakups.
If Kansas City sees Cook walk in free agency, as expected, they could replace him by promoting youngsters Jaden Hicks and Christian Roland-Wallace into full-time starting roles alongside current starter Chamarri Conner (two at safety, one at nickelback).
Latest Chiefs Free Agency News & Rumors Display Concerning Obstacle
The Chiefs are currently projected at an approximate $52.738 million over the cap in 2026. That means Veach has to clear over $52 million in cap space before the start of the new NFL league year, which is obviously a bit concerning.
Not only does this figure rank dead last in the NFL, but it also doesn’t allow much room for Veach to bring back players like Cook, who could be in for a major pay raise.
The good news is that Over the Cap only cites $215,641 in dead cap space in 2026, so the Chiefs will have a ton of flexibility in getting that negative cap number back to zero. Perhaps Veach will even free up enough space to retain one or two integral free agents.
The bad news is that KC has several homegrown players from a loaded 2022 draft class who will be hitting free agency simultaneously. Cook is just one of them, but he’s not alone.
Cornerback Jaylen Watson , linebacker Leo Chenal , and running back Isiah Pacheco headline the free agent class, and that’s before you even mention veterans like Travis Kelce , Hollywood Brown , Kareem Hunt , and Charles Omenihu , who are all playing out expiring contracts in Week 18.
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