Just one day before the Kansas City Chiefs‘ training camp is set to kick off at Missouri Western State University, the reigning AFC champions agreed to terms on a new deal with one of their defensive standouts. Defensive end George Karlaftis is signing a four-year, $93 million extension that includes $62 million guaranteed, according to ESPN. Karlaftis will now be under contract for a total of six more seasons — through the 2030 campaign.
Karlaftis’ new AAV of $23.25 million will make him the No. 10 highest-paid pass rusher in the NFL when the extension kicks in. The No. 30 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Purdue has recorded 24.5 sacks over his three NFL seasons, which ranks No. 2 among all players from his draft class, trailing just former No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson of the Detroit Lions (28.5 career sacks).
The 24-year-old pass rusher recorded a career-high 10.5 sacks in 2023, then recorded eight sacks this past season. His 28 QB hits were tied with Myles Garrett and Leonard Williams for third-most in the NFL. “Furious George” was a member of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVII and Super Bowl LVIII championship teams, and noticeably stepped up his play this past postseason en route to Super Bowl LIX. Karlaftis recorded three sacks in the divisional-round victory over the Houston Texans, and then made one sack in the Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Chiefs notched a franchise-record 15 wins in 2024, and finished the regular season with the No. 9 defense (320.6 yards of total offense allowed per game). While they failed to pull off the first three-peat of the Super Bowl era, Kansas City has been to seven straight conference championship games, and became the first team to ever reach five Super Bowls in a six-season span. It’s understood Patrick Mahomes is one of the best quarterbacks in the world, but the Chiefs couldn’t have had the success they’ve enjoyed recently without Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.
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Author: Jordan Dajani
July 20, 2025 | 5:00 pm
