Although we have been tracking the NFL’s wild free agency since the start of the league year on Monday, the league year actually began at 3:00 p.m. Arrowhead time on Wednesday.
While several of the names have reportedly agreed to terms with new teams, the Kansas City Chiefs’ list of unrestricted free agents finally became official. Absent from the list, predictably, was punter Matt Araiza.
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Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports has confirmed that the Chiefs offered Araiza an exclusive rights free agency (ERFA) tender.
Players with expiring contracts who have accrued less than three NFL seasons become EFRAs. Should their existing club offer them a minimum (non-guaranteed) salary, they are barred from speaking with other teams. In Araiza’s case, as a player with two credited seasons, his contract for 2026 will be $1,075,000.
The Buffalo Bills made Araiza a sixth-round selection out of San Diego State in the 2022 NFL Draft, but a legal situation saw him cut before his rookie season actually started — and he was out of football through 2023. The Chiefs signed him in 2024.
After a very uneven initial campaign in Kansas City, Araiza faced competition last offseason from undrafted rookie Eddie Czaplicki. After holding onto the job, Araiza had a much better second season with the Chiefs and saw his touchback percentage drop from 14.5% in 2024 to only 5.4% in 2025. Whether the improvement is enough to keep the Chiefs from bringing in another round of competition this summer remains to be seen.
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Goldman also confirms that wide receiver Nikko Remigio received an ERFA tender — after Remigio’s agent congratulated him on Tuesday via social media for reaching an “extension” with the Chiefs. Remigio’s non-guaranteed one-year tender will also be for $1,075,000..
As expected, the Chiefs did not offer guard Mike Caliendo a “restricted free agency” tender, meaning he can immediately speak with and sign with interested teams. The Chiefs also did not tender running back Keontay Ingram or cornerback Eric Scott — two minor free agent signings from last offseason who spent 2025 on the Chiefs’ Reserve/Injured list after suffering injuries in offseason workouts.