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Interior offensive lineman Mike Caliendo will be back in Kansas City on a one-year deal, according to a report made by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Western Michigan in the 2023 draft, Caliendo has played all three of his professional seasons with the Chiefs.
The move comes after Kansas City elected not to offer the $3.5 million tender tagged with Caliendo as a restricted free agent. Without knowing the figures on guaranteed money, we will note that the minimum salary for NFL players with three credited seasons is $1.145 million.
Caliendo was a reserve lineman until Week 15 of the 2024 season, when injuries forced starting left guard Joe Thuney to slide out to left tackle and open up a starting role for Caliendo to occupy the rest of the season. The rest of that campaign featured two postseason victories, then a forgettable appearance in Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles.
In 2025, Caliendo made four starts as right guard Trey Smith dealt with injuries. According to Pro Football Focus, he has taken 470 snaps at left guard and 391 snaps at right guard during his career. During his time as the starting left guard in 2024, Caliendo allowed two sacks, three quarterback hits and 10 hurries over six starts; he was also called for just one penalty.
Caliendo will return to Kansas City and join second-year lineman Hunter Nourzad as the top candidates to come off the bench for any of the three interior spots in the starting lineup.
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