Kansas City Chiefs face a pivotal offseason after a disappointing 6-11 season

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — What happened over the last month of the season for the Kansas City Chiefs figures to be a whole lot less interesting than what will transpire over the next few months, when a perennial juggernaut in desperate need of a reset begins work on the retooling.

Will tight end Travis Kelce retire after a superlative 13-year career, or will he come back for one more season in an attempt to wipe away the bitter taste of a 6-11 record? How will the Chiefs navigate free agency with glaring needs at several spots and precious little salary cap space? And what will they do with their first top-10 draft pick since Patrick Mahomes went 10th in 2017?

“Optimistic for the future going forward here,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “(General manager) Brett (Veach) has the controls from here with the draft, and he and his guys will do a great job in the draft, and as we work through free agency.”

There is plenty of work to do.

The Chiefs not only had a streak of 10 consecutive playoff appearances end, they also had a nine-year dominance of the AFC West shattered by Denver. Their streak of seven conference title game appearances is over, and given the way the season went, it's almost hard to believe that the Chiefs played in the last three Super Bowls — with two wins.

But very little went right for the Chiefs this season, beginning with a loss to the Chargers in Brazil and ending with six consecutive defeats, leaving them with their worst record since going 2-14 the year before Reid arrived in Kansas City.

By mid-December, the Chiefs already had been eliminated from the playoffs.

Injuries may have been the biggest problem: Patrick Mahomes tore two ligaments in his knee, backup quarterback Gardner Minshew likewise tore his knee ligament and stars such as Rashee Rice and Trent McDuffie followed them to injured reserve.

But there also were glaring deficiencies on both sides of the ball.

“We've got a good nucleus of guys that are veteran players. They'll be back,” Reid said, “and I think you want that foundation, and that's where you start. And then you give Brett an opportunity to have the draft picks that he has and picking where he's picking; you know he's going to do a great job there. And then whatever happens free agent-wise, or guys we signed up — wherever that goes — you still have a long way to go to add people and do what you need. So, there'll be a fresh start coming up.”

The first big decision in Kansas City may lie not with the team but with Kelce, who is considering retirement. He said the choice to come back last season was relatively easy after a lopsided Super Bowl loss to Philadelphia. But with myriad interests outside football, and his engagement to pop star Taylor Swift, things have changed in his life over the past 12 months.

“I have so much love for this team, this organization and the people here,” said Kelce, who finished with 76 catches for 851 yards and five touchdowns. “I'll spend some time with them, go through exit meetings, get close to the family and figure things out.”

Mahomes is already well into rehab following surgery to repair his knee injury, and the Chiefs are cautiously optimistic that he will be ready for Week 1 next season. Everyone else who landed on injured reserve also is expected to be ready for next season.

Among veterans due to hit free agency are running backs Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt, wide receivers Marquise Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster, cornerbacks Josh Williams and Jaylen Watson, safeties Bryan Cook and Mike Edwards, linebacker Leo Chenal and defensive linemen Derrick Nnadi, Mike Pennel and Charles Omenihu. Several could be back on team-friendly deals.

The Chiefs will pick ninth overall in April, their highest since taking offensive tackle Eric Fisher first overall in 2013. They have a slew of needs on both sides of the ball, but look for them to target offensive playmakers — probably a running back — and someone who can rush the passer after finishing among the league's worst in quarterback sacks this season.

The Chiefs haven't been finished this early in a season in a decade, so at least in terms of getting a jump-start on next season, the next few weeks are a novel luxury. They'll spend it preparing for the NFL scouting combine in late February and the start of free agency.

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Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones speaks during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt (29) runs with the ball as Las Vegas Raiders safety Isaiah Pola-Mao, left, and cornerback Darien Porter (26) defend during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Chris Oladokun (19) fumbles as he is sacked for an 8-yard loss by Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Tyree Wilson during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce heads off the field following an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

ADEN, YEMEN (AP) — A council fighting against Yemen’s Houthi rebels said Wednesday that it had expelled the leader of a separatist movement and charged him with treason after he reportedly declined to travel to Saudi Arabia for talks.

The latest upheaval in southern Yemen is revealing a growing divide among the Persian Gulf powers, cracking the coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Houthis. Longstanding differences between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — from Sudan to energy policy — have spilled into Yemen, where they back rival factions. The rift has deepened strains between the two neighbors, who officially share the goal of countering the Houthis, in control of the capital, Sanaa, since 2014.

Uncertainty is also growing over the future of Yemen itself — a country strained by more than a decade of war in the Arab world’s poorest country.

A delegation of the Southern Transitional Council, or STC, which had been backed by the United Arab Emirates, flew to the Saudi capital, where it was scheduled to attend a meeting to discuss the situation in Yemen's southern governorates.

But the STC said in a statement it lost contact with the delegation after it landed. It expressed “deep concern” over the matter.

The STC said leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi remained in Aden, the interim capital where the internationally recognized government is based. It also accused Saudi Arabia of launching airstrikes in Yemen's al-Dhale governorate and causing casualties.

“While a senior STC delegation is in Saudi Arabia pursuing negotiations, the President remains in Aden to ensure security and stability," wrote Amr al-Bidh, an STC official focused on foreign affairs. “He will not abandon his people, and he will engage directly when conditions allow.”

The Presidential Leadership Council, or PLC, headed by Rashad al-Alimi, accused al-Zubaidi in a Facebook statement of “damaging the republic’s military, political and economic standing,” as well as “forming an armed gang and committing the murder of officers and soldiers of the armed forces."

More than 15 Saudi airstrikes overnight hit the al-Dhale governorate, targeting STC camps, according to STC leader Salah bin Laghir.

Meanwhile, two eyewitnesses, Hossam Mohsen and Mohamed Awlaqi, told The Associated Press that armored vehicles affiliated with the STC left Aden overnight heading to al-Dahle.

Other witnesses, Khaled Mathni and Abdallah Abeid, said they saw drones in the sky and flames rising as explosions shook neighborhoods in al-Dahle city and its surrounding areas. They said they believe a weapons warehouse was targeted.

In a statement Wednesday morning, the STC said it was “surprised” by the Saudi airstrike, adding that it marks a “regrettable escalation.”

“While the Southern Transitional Council condemns these unjustified airstrikes, it demands that the Saudi authorities immediately cease the bombing, guarantee the safety of its delegation in Riyadh, and enable it to communicate immediately, considering this a prerequisite for creating a positive atmosphere for any serious and meaningful dialogue,” the STC statement read.

The anti-Houthi leadership group, the PLC, formed in April 2022 after President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi of Yemen’s internationally recognized government stepped down.

Its members have often pursued competing agendas and relied on different foreign backers, leaving the council fragmented and unable to mount a unified campaign against the Houthis — even after the United States and Israel launched bombing campaigns targeting the rebels.

An uneasy ceasefire between the combatants on the ground in Yemen held for years. But tensions flared again in late December over the STC's advances in the oil-rich governorates of Hadramout and Mahra, which were once held by Saudi-backed forces.

Maj. Gen, Turki al-Malki, a spokesperson for a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, said Wednesday that al-Zubaidi, had been due to take a flight to Saudi Arabia with other council officials but did not join them.

“The legitimate government and the coalition received intelligence indicating that al-Zubaidi had moved a large force — including armored vehicles, combat vehicles, heavy and light weapons, and ammunition,” al-Malki said. Al-Zubaidi “fled to an unknown location.”

“What is happening today in the southern governorates after the rebellion of Aidarus al-Zubaidi, and despite all the sincere efforts made by our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Presidential Leadership Council to prevent reaching this stage, is not what we wished to reach, and we are not happy with what has happened,” said Abdualla al-Alimi, vice President of the Presidential Leadership Council on X.

On Sunday, Saudi-backed forces spread across the port city of Mukalla, retaking the capital of Hadramout province following days of Saudi airstrikes.

Saudi Arabia in recent weeks has bombed STC positions and struck what is said was a shipment of Emirati weapons. After Saudi pressure and an ultimatum from anti-Houthi forces to withdraw from Yemen, the UAE said Saturday it had withdrawn its forces.

Yemen, on the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula off East Africa, borders the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The war there has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.

Khaled reported from Cairo, and Gambrell from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

FILE - The president of the Yemen's Southern Transitional Council Aidarous Al-Zubaidi sits for an interview, Sept. 22, 2023, in New York, while attending the United Nations General Assembly's annual high-level meeting of world leaders. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)