Chiefs Offseason Was Easily The Roughest In The NFL

The offseason highlight for the Kansas City Chiefs probably came last week when Andy Reid donned a tuxedo and players brought their plus-ones to a private ceremony that delivered to team members their championship ring for winning Super Bowl LVIII.

Each hand-crafted ring boasts 529 diamonds and 38 rubies, totaling approximately 14.80 carats of gemstones. It is the crown jewel of what is a burgeoning NFL dynasty that has won three of the last five Super Bowls.

"Earning back-to-back Super Bowl championships is an incredibly difficult and rare feat," Chiefs President Mark Donovan said. "It helps define legacies for franchises, coaches, players, and is a testament to the commitment and dedication that is required from everyone in the organization," 

Nice.

The Kansas City Chiefs distributed their Super Bowl LVIII rings to players and coaches at a private ring ceremony on June 14.

(Kansas City Chiefs)

Even Chiefs' Ring Has A Problem

But what if I told you the trinket came with a glitch?

The interior of the ring, which tells the story of the Chiefs' four postseason victories over the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers, lists the seeding of those teams in the playoffs.

But the ring misrepresents the Dolphins AFC seed as No. 7. The Dolphins were actually the No. 6 seed.

It's not a huge mistake. But it's a snafu nonetheless.

And that has been the theme of this Chiefs' offseason, as the club has been managing one snafu after another.

The Chiefs, who had the NFL's best season in 2023-24, have followed with the league's roughest offseason.

It's not that the club has lost talent in free agency (some of that has happened) or been beset by terrible injuries (not at this stage, knock wood). It's all the other stuff…

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 11: Rashee Rice #4 of the Kansas City Chiefs warms up before Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Problems Began With Rashee Rice

Like the car crash which receiver Rashee Rice has taken responsibility for causing.

And Rice's hit-and-run reaction to the crash, which was caught on camera.

And the eight charges against Rice that followed.

And the two civil lawsuits after that.

And the still unknown outcome of an incident allegedly involving Rice and another man at a bar. The man has reportedly decided not to proceed with charges, but the decision to move forward or drop the matter is ultimately up to law enforcement.

Then we had the arrests of offensive tackles Wanya Morris and Chukwuebuka Godrick for marijuana possession. 

There was also the arrest of defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs on two charges of animal cruelty because he allegedly didn't feed his dogs or give them water for a week.

And then came another Buggs arrest over the weekend on charges of second-degree domestic violence with a burglary designation in Alabama. 

Buggs has mostly been a backup during his five NFL seasons and was signed by the Chiefs in February. So he has more arrests (2) than regular-season games played (0) as a member of the Chiefs.

Kansas City Chiefs place kicker Harrison Butker (7) is congratulated after kicking the game winning field goal against the Tennessee Titans in over time at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo.

Harrison Butker Caused A Stir

That is not the end of the drama.

There was the controversial (to some) commencement speech kicker Harrison Butker delivered a Benedictine College in May. 

Amazingly, out of all the issues with the law and jails the Chiefs have had this offseason, this speech is the only one that got the NFL to seemingly scold the Chiefs on the record.

It also got commissioner Roger Goodell to give an opinion on the matter.

The Chiefs have been averaging an off-field news story a week for months now. So, gut-punch after gut-punch.

The latest, before Buggs got arrested that second time and the rings went a little sideways, happened when linebacker BJ Thompson suffered a scary cardiac arrest episode during a special teams meeting.

And the amazing thing about this barrage of unwelcome events is it might not be over. In fact, we know it's not over.

Rashee Rice Faces Suspension

The NFL, you see, will eventually fully investigate Rice's offseason. The player will likely meet with Goodell and eventually the league will determine to what degree Rice has violated the league's personal conduct policy. 

He was one of the team's feel-good stories last season as a rookie because he developed into a promising player. But every positive step he took has been followed by a misstep this offseason, and it could all lead to a suspension. 

If it wasn't the Super Bowl champions we're talking about, there would be an uproar within NFL circles about how embarrassing this offseason has been.

There would be calls for Buggs to be cut – which he should be. And there would be harder questions about Rice's status on the team. 

Reid has been asked one question about the receiver's history at SMU – which allegedly included a shooting incident that led some teams to take him off their draft boards.

"Yeah, the way I would leave it with you is we knew enough to draft him," Reid said, "and then we just went with the process. We found that it was satisfactory for us."

The Chiefs are off until they report for training camp at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri. Rookies and quarterbacks report in mid-July and the whole team a week later. 

"I’ll take a break here," Reid told reporters last week before leaving for a respite. "I’ve got a place out west there. I’ll go veg for a minute but still keep my eye on things."

The best Reid might hope for in what remains of this drama-filled offseason is to have his team give him nothing else to see.