NFL rumors: Chiefs' $45 million contract keeps star away from Raiders, Broncos

Heading into free agency, the Kansas City Chiefs re-signed Nick Bolton, keeping their star linebacker. However, had they not reached a deal, Bolton might've seen himself rocking either a Denver Broncos or Las Vegas Raiders uniform in 2025, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz on X.

“Sources: Nick Bolton gets $45M over 3 years — was set to have a major market in free agency and was drawing significant interest from AFC West rivals, the Broncos and Raiders, per sources,” Schultz wrote. “Instead of hitting the open market, the two-time Super Bowl-winning LB stays with the Chiefs on a big deal.”

As a former second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Bolton is now a two-time Super Bowl Champion, hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in 50% of seasons in his career thus far.

Now, it was possible that the Chiefs wouldn't re-sign Bolton, as their roster is full of players who must be paid now or in the near future.

However, after trading Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears, they also have holes to fill within their own roster if they'd like to get back to the Super Bowl.

And with Ronnie Stanley re-signing with the Baltimore Ravens, their chances of replacing Thuney with a similarly rated offensive lineman have shriveled. So, why not bring back one of your own? That's what the Chiefs were able to do with Bolton.

Had the two parties disagreed for a little longer Bolton could've tested free agency, where two AFC West rivals were seemingly in the hunt for the Chiefs' star linebacker. Now, the Raiders are seemingly building something under head coach Pete Carroll after trading for Geno Smith. However, their defense allowed 333.1 yards per game in 2024, ranking 15th in the NFL.

Those aren't awful numbers — but with a star linebacker like Bolton in the middle of the field — they could've been an even better unit collectively.

In the other rumor bucket, the Broncos were reportedly interested in Bolton. To be fair, there were likely many teams interested in Bolton had he entered the open market of free agency.

And for one of the best defensive units in the NFL, Bolton could've made the Broncos an even scarier defense to face.

Unfortunately for the Broncos and Raiders, however, the Chiefs re-signed their star linebacker as they look to rebound from their Super Bowl blowout against the Philadelphia Eagles.