Chiefs' Three-Peat Challenges Are Highlighted by a Low-Key Free Agent Loss

When it comes to free agency, the Kansas City Chiefs got their man. Chris Jones, of course, wasn't allowed to hit the open market—he and General Manager Brett Veach hammered out an extension that suited both parties' needs.

But that's not to say that the defending champs' offseason has gone completely perfectly. L'Jarius Sneed could still be dealt, and on Monday some of the other puzzle pieces started falling into place.

Punter Tommy Townsend is heading to Houston, and lineman Nick Allegretti received the contract he was seeking from the Washington Commanders. And while Chiefs fans won't hold those moves against them, they do underscore the challenges of keeping a championship window pried open.

Allegretti Earned His Move During the Playoffs

If you think back to the Chiefs' run to the Super Bowl, the defending champs didn't exactly stroll back to the podium. Without home field advantage, there was a challenging run through Buffalo and Baltimore before facing the 49ers in the Big Game.

And that path was made even tougher by Joe Thuney's pec injury.

When the All-Pro guard went down injured, KC fans were left fearing the worst. In early 2021, the Chiefs crumbled in the Super Bowl when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers overwhelmed a patchwork offensive line. Was history repeating itself?

As we now know, it wasn't. Allegretti, a former starter turned utility lineman, stepped in for Thuney and held down the fort. He even tore his ulnar collateral ligament in the Super Bowl but toughed it out to keep Kansas City from having to throw a third-choice lineman to the metaphorical wolves.

With that performance under his belt and his contract expiring, the former seventh-round pick was understandably interested in a starting job. As he admitted on Good Morning Football, he wanted the chance to lead a position group each week.

And it seems as if his wish has been granted. Allegretti is reportedly joining the Commanders on a three-year, $16 million deal. While that might not seem like much compared with other NFL salaries, the lineman earned only a shade over $6 million during five seasons in KC.

In that context, it's hard to hold the move against him. When you combine a (presumptive) starting job and more salary than KC could really afford to give a backup, few among us would have turned down that move.

Players Like Allegretti Underscore Chiefs' Challenge

To be clear, the Chiefs have had their offseason priorities in order. Someone like Chris Jones is a game changer, and you do what you can to keep singularly talented players on the roster.

That usually requires compromises, and players like Townsend and Allegretti are the casualties there. And while you can't argue with the big picture approach, it still underscores the challenge facing the back-to-back champs.

While success is good (every team wants to win games and ultimately lift the big trophy), those wins raise the financial stakes. At the risk of speaking in generalities, no one wants to sign bad players: Winners and proven performers are desirable offseason targets.

And that collective desire raises the price. Once a bidding war starts, a team like the Chiefs, who have large chunks of the salary cap devoted to select stars, usually has to throw in the towel.

But wait, you might be saying, we're talking about players who, in the grand scheme of things, don't really matter. When you've got Jones and Patrick Mahomes, after all, who's worried about a backup lineman or a punter?

Well, the problem with that is that you can't know every twist and turn that an NFL season will hold. The Chiefs, for example, didn't need Allegretti during the regular season; he played only 7 percent of the offensive snaps during that part of the campaign. But when Thuney went down, he became essential and played a key role in the Super Bowl success.

A similar point could be made for Townsend. While you might think that a Mahomes-led offense makes a punter less important, the unit wasn't exactly humming along in 2023. And, during the Super Bowl, a punt helped turn the game in KC's favor.

Again, that's not to say those two players were the glue holding everything together and that the Chiefs will crumble without them. But the 2023 campaign did show the importance of having depth and reliable options up and down the roster. And it's harder to keep the cupboard stocked as your salary cap swells and your supporting cast seeks bigger contracts.

So where does that leave the back-to-back champs? First off, the expensive talent they have on the roster has to deliver. And, secondly, Veach and company have to continue identifying affordable diamonds in the draft. Those picks are a key part of keeping the championship window wedged open with affordable talent. Look at Allegretti as an example. He arrived as a seventh-round pick and helped bring two titles back to Missouri without breaking the bank.

Is that a challenging situation, especially when there's a league-wide target on your back? Of course, but it's still better to be chasing your third-consecutive Super Bowl title than trying to break a 50-year drought.