Who Are the Chiefs El Primo Jefe’s?

David Bell

I dwelt in my thought processes and wondered how many Supreme “El Jefe’s” the team had on the roster? These thoughts and questions gave me pause to consider writing about it, so here it comes. We have some obvious candidates for this list and some you may not have thought of –yet… but at least three names I will mention for the near future: Marquise Brown, Xavier Worthy, and Jared Wylie. We need to see this prove out in 2024 for each of these players and I believe in all three doing so. The same is true for Kingsley Suamataia. We will witness what happens in the coming season.

Our GM and Coaches will need a separate article. See that in the future.

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The Players

1. Patrick Mahomes (GOAT)
2. Travis Kelce – TE (The greatest of all time – I give him at least 3 more seasons)
3. Chris Jones – DT (I lauded him before he was drafted. CJ has more than fulfilled my expectations)
4. Joe Thuney – LG (I value Thuney very highly and wished that Veach would go sign him, danged if that didn’t happen. Now? Age and injury make me think that 2024 may be his last season as a Chief)
5. Creed Humphrey – C (Highest-ranked active center in the NFL- see Trey Smith in the HM group below.)
6. Trent McDuffie – CB (ranked higher than L’Jarius Sneed (PFF)
7. Harrison Butler – PK (I don’t care for the social media perspective – he’s the best in the biz and social media ain’t worth bupkis, nor are those posting against Butker!)

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Honorable Mentions:

• Justin Reid – S (I value Reid’s veteran experience at the back end of the defense but 2024 is his last Chiefs season)
• Trey Smith – ROG (Hits Free Agency in 2025 unless he gets a new contract – it will come down to either him or Creed probably but other teams may still worry about the blood clot situation and that may make keeping both very possible)

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Breaking it Down: Some Thoughts

Let me start with Justin Reid and Trey Smith. I appreciate what both bring to the Chiefs roster. Trey Smith may end up being easier to retain with Creed Humphrey needing a contract extension. There is probably room though, for GM Brett Veach to work with Creed on a longer-term deal. The same is true for Smith due to other GMs fearing his history of blood clots. I will observe that both Matt Derrick and Nick Jacobs think he is going to cash in no matter what. See their “41 the Mic” session, here:

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Creed (above, in my el Primo list), is now the highest-rated Center in the NFL, and rightfully so. 2025 sees his and Trey Smith’s contracts — both will be Free Agents in 2025 — but, in 2024, Trey’s cap hit is $3,698,676. So, depending on his performance in 2024, I can see Brett Veach reaching a deal with Trey and I’d like that to happen.

Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Chris Jones – I don’t think I can do justice for this Triumvirate. I will refrain from trying to provide the superlatives that each of these three men deserves in such a short article like this.

I like Justin Reid. I hope he gets a new contract. Reid provided a view in this short clip after winning the Super Bowl (2:58):

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Unfortunately, I think 2024 is Justin Reid’s last season with K.C. due to the money situation, though he is not on my list of el Jefes. One other thought that I have about Reid is just this: he has a calming influence on young players. I appreciate his contributions to various press conferences that I have watched. Reid is a “Chief”! He is mature and well-spoken, which suggests his leadership role. As observed, Justin Reid is a great leader on and off the field for the Chiefs, but he is not under contract in 2025 and thus will become a free agent. His cap number in 2024 is $14,250,00. I do not anticipate Veach extending a new contract or an extension in 2025. Reid’s value is known league-wide.

Indeed, Justin Reid has become a Chief and I will be sorry if Cap monies prevent his return in 2025. Justin is a great spokesman for the team. Here he speaks at a Chiefs Presser after the OTAs last year:

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Besides that, we have Bryan Cook (2024 cap number is $1,594, 675) and Chamarri Connor (2024 cap number is $1,102,841) and they are waiting in the wings to take over the back end of the defense. Both players are anticipated to improve over 2023, and both tally up another year of NFL experience in the process. The two players will be considerably less expensive than Reid. Let’s not forget that rookie Jaden Hicks enters the picture in 2024 and beyond.

CB Trent McDuffie – McDuffie was ranked higher than L’Jarius Sneed by PFF. He was more than just a solid CB in 2023 and he proved himself to be up to the task of a starting CB. I think PFF ranked him too low.

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McDuffie Sets the tone at CB, this time vs. the run – photo credit Ross D. Franklin

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Be that as it may, Trent is under contract and will take over as the Chiefs primary outside CB role in 2024, though he may be better suited to play the slot. We’ll have to wait and see if Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson, or possibly Nazeeh Johnson emerges as a starting quality CB — and let me include this thought –> I have high hopes for Nazeeh Johnson in 2024.

Harrison Butker – Our place kicker has a ton of value for his performance since he was acquired. I am going to ignore all of the social media outcry over the past few months. He is, in my view, the best in the business. His persona and personality are a great fit for the Chiefs. Again, his stature is unquestionable to me.

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BTW… social media ain’t worth spit.

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Creed Humphrey – Creed is on his last contract year with a cap hit of $5,241,856. He took over the top Ranking at Center with the retirement of Eagles great, Jason Kelce.

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Creed Humphrey in Action

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That is a great low-cost salary for Humphrey in 2024. I am not able to project what his value will be with any degree of accuracy, but using Jason Kelce’s numbers from 2023, I see some projecting a value that could exceed $14,250,000 which Jason played on for a 1-year extension in 2023. Of course, I do not expect Creed to have that value in the first year of a multi-year contract. Also, note that Jason’s money was fully guaranteed.

I can see something like a starting point of $8M pending his performance in 2024 or even using his 2023 work alone. I hope GM Brett Veach extends his contract now, rather than later. I was surprised when Brett Veach selected him because he is a southpaw. I am not surprised any longer. I don’t think that Veach will let this slide. I think an extension is due if they can get it done. K.C. has let other very capable Centers escape in free agency such as Mitch Morse, and Rodney Hudson (both during the Andy Reid era). It’s going to be tough next year for the IOL as I can see all three players departing. They are among the best in the NFL.

Other concerns need to be written about in upcoming articles — such as the best outcome for the Competition at LOT.

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David Bell — ArrowheadOne

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