The Chiefs are bringing back one of their most important pieces on offense: running back Jerick McKinnon. McKinnon had 803 total yards from scrimmage, the second-highest total of his career. In particular, he was Patrick Mahomes’ number-two option in the passing game. McKinnon finished with 512 receiving yards which was third-best on the team. He also had nine receiving touchdowns, which was second behind Travis Kelce who had 12. When free agency began back in March, I wrote an article about the three most important players the Chiefs could not lose. If you missed that particular article, you can click here. You will see that I included McKinnon.
The re-signing of McKinnon provides Kansas City a valuable second option to pair along with Isiah Pacheco, who quickly emerged as the team’s starting running back early in the season. The exact contract details for McKinnon are not yet known. This was not the only running back news for Kansas City today.
Earlier this morning, it was announced by general manager Brett Veach that the Chiefs will decline the fifth-year option for running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, meaning he will be a free agent after the 2023 season. Edwards-Helaire was a first-round pick by Kansas City in 2020 and burst onto the scene his rookie year rushing for 803 yards. Unfortunately, injury and inconsistency led to decreased playing opportunities over the last couple of seasons and he eventually lost his role as the starting running back to Isiah Pacheco in 2022.
