KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs have retained another key veteran, and in this case a mainstay of their special teams unit for the past decade.
Long snapper James Winchester has agreed to terms on a new with Kansas City, a source tells Chiefs Digest. The terms of the new deal were not immediately available. Winchester expects to sign the deal later this week.
Winchester arrived in Kansas City as a free agent in 2015 after entering the league as an undrafted free agent from Oklahoma in 2013. He beat out Andrew East for the job to replace Thomas Gafford and hasn’t missed a game as the team’s long snapper since, playing in 169 regular-season and playoff games during the past nine years.
His 22 postseason games played share the club’s franchise record with tight end Travis Kelce.
Winchester earned a base salary of $1.165 million last season as part of a two-year, $2.75 million extension he signed in 2022.
The return of Winchester is pivotal for the Chiefs this season, especially as they will likely be employing a new punter in 2024. Tommy Townsend is a free agent, and the club recently signed former Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza. Replacing two-thirds of their field goal team with a new long snapper and holder would certainly have been a tough adjustment for kicker Harrison Butker and coordinator Dave Toub. Keeping Winchester in the fold retains some continuity as they will likely prepare Araiza to serve as kickholder this coming season.
