Khalen Saunders breaks the silence with a heartfelt goodbye to Chiefs fans before joining a new AFC rival.QQ
This reunion along the defensive line won’t be happening for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Kansas City Chiefs won’t be reuniting with another familiar face on the defensive line, at least not during the 2025 NFL season.
The Chiefs’ third-round draft pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Western Illinois DT Khalen Saunders, was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. Since we’ve passed the trade deadline, Saunders had to clear waivers in the NFL. He was not claimed on the waiver wire, making him an unrestricted free agent and free to choose his next team.
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With struggles along the interior defensive line and generating pressure on opposing quarterbacks, a return to Kansas City seemed like a natural fit. Even Chris Jones pleaded for Saunders to return to the Chiefs, just as he did with Mike Pennel. Unfortunately, a reunion doesn’t appear to be in the cards for Kansas City or Saunders.
Saunders took to social media to let Chiefs Kingdom know he wouldn’t be returning to his home state of Missouri. He clearly wanted another go in Kansas City. Fans also wanted him back, but Brett Veach and the front office were uninterested in Saunders.
“Sorry y’all, I tried,” Saunders wrote, followed by a shrugging emoji. “If only the fans were the front office. Maybe one day (though), who knows.”
Fans will be excited to see that Saunders landed another opportunity in the league, but sad that it won’t be with the Chiefs after the team fell to 5-5 following a loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 11. His locker room presence and ability surely could’ve helped the team, but it’ll now go to another AFC club looking to dig their way out of a bad situation.
Ex-Chiefs DT Khalen Saunders expected to sign with Jets
It didn’t take Saunders long to find himself a new team, but he’s not going anywhere with playoff aspirations. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Saunders is expected to sign with the New York Jets, who just recently traded away DT Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys.
The Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Cardinals, and Indianapolis Colts were other teams reportedly interested in Saunders, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. It’s unclear whether this is a deal on the 53-man roster or if he’ll start on the practice squad. Still, it’s clear that New York valued his veteran presence and championship pedigree, likely compensating him accordingly.
