Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes was the 12th-most sacked quarterback in the NFL in 2024, and the team made sure to upgrade their offensive line in the 2025 NFL Draft.

With their first-round pick, the Chiefs drafted Ohio State offensive linemen Josh Simmons, and that could mean that one of the team’s other starters could be a candidate to have his job taken.

The reigning AFC champions signed left tackle Jawaan Taylor to a four-year, $80 million contract back in 2023, but he has not necessarily been the player that they thought he was going to be.

In that 2023 season following his new contract, Taylor led the NFL in penalty yards with 140. He tallied up 19 penalties in 17 games, with most of them being false starts for him jumping to protect Mahomes early.

Simmons is currently listed as the backup right tackle for the Chiefs, but could make a transition to the other side of the line to take Taylor’s place. He protected Will Howard very well in his time with the Buckeyes, and the team could want that kind of protection on the starting lineup.

Making that kind of move would also free up a lot of capital for the Chiefs, as they would not have to pay the rookie anywhere near as much as Taylor. … as long as somehow Taylor can be moved.

There are teams who would be more than willing to trade for an offensive linemen, so it could be something for the Chiefs to consider as those sort of rumors begin to bubble up.

Taylor will most likely begin the season in the staring lineup, but only time will tell if the Chiefs are willing to pay to keep him there.