Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach is always keeping an eye out for a good deal.
He signed several new players during free agency, and also made a couple of trades. The first of which was sending cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams for a haul of draft picks, and the second was to acquire quarterback Justin Fields from the New York Jets.
Kansas City Chiefs Nearly Traded LB Drue Tranquill to New York Giants Before Beginning of Free Agency
Veach almost pulled off another trade, but it didn’t end up coming to fruition. According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, the Giants were interested in adding Tranquill.
“The linebacker that the Giants actually were going to trade for, from the Kansas City Chiefs, it seemed to be before the start of free agency, Drue Tranquill,” Raanan said on the Breaking Big Blue podcast. “He ended up staying in Kansas City, taking a pay cut to stay. Seems to be something he wanted to do. He didn’t want to leave there.”
Raanan did not reveal what New York offered for compensation. Tranquill ended up taking a pay cut to remain in Kansas City, reducing his base pay from $6 million down to $3.5 million ($3M fully guaranteed), and trimming his salary cap number by $2.5 million.
Some wondered if the Chiefs would simply cut Tranquill, which would have saved them nearly $6 million. At the end of the day, the Chiefs and Tranquill agreed that remaining together on a cheaper contract would be in both side’s best interest. Tranquill had a hand in Kansas City landing free agent safety Alohi Gilman, who is a former teammate of his.
Tranquill was Pro Football Focus’ 14th-highest graded linebacker in 2025. His 89.4 PFF grade against the run ranked sixth among all linebackers. Tranquill started all 17 games last season, recording 103 total tackles, two sacks, five quarterback pressures, one forced fumble, and one pass defended.
Did Chiefs Choose to Keep Drue Tranquill Over Leo Chenal?
Kansas City wasn’t able to keep all of its starting linebacker corps intact, as Chenal signed a three-year, $27.75 million contract with the Commanders during free agency. The Chiefs probably could have made that deal work if they really wanted to keep Chenal, but obviously they weren’t willing to match it.
Although they restructured Tranquill to a cheaper price, the Chiefs could have not only saved more money by moving on from him, but would have acquired an extra draft pick. When you also add in the fact that Chenal (25) is five years younger than Tranquill (30), it’s certainly fair to wonder if Kansas City made the right decision.
Tranquill is entering the final year of his contract and very well may not return in 2027. Perhaps the Chiefs believe in their quality of depth at the linebacker position, which starts with defensive captain Nick Bolton. Behind Bolton and Tranquill are veterans Jack Cochrane and Cole Christiansen, as well as second-year players Cooper McDonald and Jeffrey Bassa.
Nick Roesch Nick Roesch covers the NFL for Heavy Sports, with a focus on the Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, and Los Angeles Chargers. He previously covered the Chiefs for USA TODAY Sports’ Chiefs Wire, and all 32 NFL teams for A to Z Sports. Roesch’s career in sports media spans 10 years. More about Nick Roesch
