Kansas City, MO
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs were already reeling after rookie left tackle Josh Simmons suffered a dislocated and fractured wrist in the Thanksgiving’s loss to Dallas, an injury that landed him on injured reserve and almost certainly ended his 2025 season.
What happened next left the entire organization speechless.
The 2025 first-round pick (No. 32 overall) quietly approached general manager Brett Veach and asked to voluntarily decline the remaining 2025 portion of his signing bonus
— a figure worth $1.83 million this year — so the Chiefs could immediately create extra cap space to sign an experienced replacement tackle before Sunday’s critical matchup against the Houston Texans.
“I’ve been out twice this year — once for personal reasons and now this,” Simmons told reporters via Zoom from his recovery room. “I’m not going to be on the field to help the guys, so the least I can do is make sure they have the best possible protection for Pat. Take the money and go get somebody who can play right now.”
The move instantly frees approximately $1.2 million dollars in 2025 cap room (thanks to prorated bonus language in his four-year, $14.675 million rookie deal) — enough for Kansas City to sign a veteran starter or elevate two practice-squad linemen without having to cut other contributors.
Head coach Andy Reid, visibly emotional, called it “one of the most selfless acts I’ve seen in 30 years of coaching.”
GM Brett Veach added: “We didn’t ask him to do this. He came to us. That tells you everything about the kind of young man Josh is.”
Inside the locker room, the gesture hit even harder. Several offensive linemen — including Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith — immediately posted on X praising the rookie, with Humphrey writing: “22 years old and already putting the team above everything. That’s Chiefs football.”
Simmons’ season is over, but in all likelihood. But in one afternoon, the kid from Ohio State may have just become the new definition of Chiefs Kingdom heart.
As one veteran put it: “He can’t block for us anymore this year — so he found another way to protect No. 15.”
