Getty
Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill proves he’s all in with Kansas City.
The Kansas City Chiefs continue to fine tune their roster following a flurry of big moves at the start of free agency.
After re-signing Travis Kelce to a one-year, $12 million deal and inking former Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III to a three-year, $43.05 million contract, they added former Baltimore Ravens safety Alohi Gilman to a three-year, $24.7 million deal.
On March 12, the Chiefs added depth behind Walker, signing former Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado to a one-year deal. Kansas City has also had to make some tough goodbyes.
They traded All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams, where he signed a record-breaking four-year, $124 million contract. Fellow former Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson is joining McDuffie in Los Angeles.
Kansas City cleared $20 million in cap space by releasing veteran right tackle Jawaan Taylor, and releasing defensive Mike Danna saved another $9 million. Crunching the numbers and looking ahead to the 2026 NFL draft, where the Chiefs have nine picks, linebacker Drue Tranquill looked to be the next cap casualty.
Tranquill signed a three-year, $19 million deal that includes $13 million fully guaranteed ahead of the 2024 NFL season. While his exit seemed imminent, Tranquill made it clear he’d do anything to stay in Kansas City.
Drue Tranquill Accepted a Pay Cut to Remain With the Chiefs in 2026
GettyChiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill took a pay cut to stay in Kansas City.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo broke the news on Thursday night, “Tranquill recently renegotiated the final year of his deal, taking his base pay from $6 million down to $3.5 million ($3M fully guaranteed) and trimming his cap number by $2.5 million.”
Chiefs Kingdom praised the linebacker for the move. KC Sports Network’s Ken Swanson posted, “Love this.” One fan commented, “Tranquill is the ultimate team player for this. Taking a pay cut to stay in KC and help the cap shows he’s all in on the dynasty. Massive win for the Chiefs’ defense keeping a high-IQ linebacker locked in for 2026.”
Another fan wrote, “Class act all the way around! 👏.” One X account added, “WOW 👀 Much respect to Drue Tranquill for putting the team first here ❤️.”
Last season, Tranquill recorded 103 total tackles, 2.0 sacks, 3.0 quarterback hits, and 1.0 forced fumble.
Drue Tranquill Helped Recruit Alohi Gilman to the Chiefs
GettyFormer Ravens safety Alohi Gilman signed with the Chiefs.
Not only did Tranquill give up millions to remain Kansas City, he’s also helping the franchise recruit top talent. Tranquill helped bring in Gilman, his former Notre Dame and Los Angeles Chargers teammate.
“Drue’s my guy,” Gilman told reporters on Thursday. “He’s been recruiting me hard here. That’s my third agent. Drue’s been doing his thing. I’ve had good conversations with him over the years. I played with him at Notre Dame [and with] the Chargers as well.
“So much respect for him as a warrior, as a player, as a teammate, and just as a friend. I got a lot of respect for him, that’s my guy. I’ll go to war with him any day. Excited to strap it up with him, and really excited about the opportunity.”
Emily Bicks covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Bills, Seahawks and Chiefs. She’s contributed to Heavy since 2019 and has interviewed some of the biggest stars in sports, including Jerry Rice, Shaquille O’Neal and Stefon Diggs. More about Emily Bicks
More Heavy on Chiefs
Loading more stories
