With its offensive unit arguably locked up and secure for the rest of the offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs now focus on bringing its defensive squad on the forefront with George Karlaftis now expected to ink a four-year, $93 million deal with the team to stay up to the 2029 season. Now it seems that one of the defensive standouts of the league will reside in Kansas City.

Spending his first three years with the Chiefs, Karlaftis was a consistent producer for the team and has been an elite defender in his own right. Most of the time, Karlaftis has been tasked against the opposing quarterback, and he's been great in one-on-one matchups, even lining up against All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones.

With the makings of being a solid defender for the team, it seems that Karlaftis will now have his big chance on the team to prove his worth on the big stage. This comes as a good hope for the defensive lineman, who will be eager to approach his next few years with a contender team that is likely to make a Super Bowl appearance in one of those years at the very least.

A Defender Secured

An elite sack artist in his own right, Karlaftis definitely deserves his flowers as he's steadily improved one year after another, proving that he deserves his praise and the money as well. It has been one heck of an amazing run for the defensive lineman, and now his exploits have been rewarded well.

"He's a heck of a player and he's done a great job here and he's profiting from that," coach Andy Reid said. "Our team is also profiting from him being around. It's a win-win. He's a relentless player. You can trust him and he's reliable. You know he's going to do the right things and go 100 miles an hour doing it."

Tenacious and relentless on the defensive end, Karlaftis has often found himself an efficient performer in his own right, and that says a lot about his value with the team on the defensive end. It can be remembered that he wrapped up the 2024 run with eight sacks, a career-high 28 quarterback hits, and 35 tackles.

Playoff Karlaftis has also been great to watch, finishing with four sacks and eight quarterback hits. His eagerness to sacrifice his body at every turn is a great sight for fans, and getting him locked up for the next four years is a huge steal for the Chiefs at this point.

What Led to the Deal

Under his new contract, Karlaftis will now become the 10th highest-paid defender among pass rushers, despite earning just an average salary of $23.25 million, including incentives. This also means that Karlaftis will stay in the branching guidance of longtime defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and may even have a bigger role in the long run.

Karlaftis is one of the prominent players to emerge from the Chiefs’ highly praised 2022 Draft Class, which has seen impressive performers such as Isiah Pacheco, Bryan Cook, Leo Chenal, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson. At this point, it is safe to say that the Chiefs are definitely reaping the benefits of having these players in the rotation.

With Karlaftis now kept for four more years – two years before his original contract expires, it is expected that he will find ways to win it all, and contribute even more on the defensive side as the Chiefs eagerly seek to run it back multiple times on the Super Bowl stage.