The Kansas City Chiefs are heading into 2024 with plenty of familiar faces. But while they kept the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and Travis Kelce (among others) for next season, the team also lost some pieces of its Super Bowl-winning rosters.
Offensive lineman Nick Allegretti, for instance, started in Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers but decided to walk away in free agency. At 27, he will start a new chapter with the Washington Commanders.
“I have a ton of respect for the guys in Kansas City,” Allegretti said, via the Commanders’ official website. “I enjoyed my role there, but I think I had gotten to the point in my career where I wanted to come and be a starter in Week 1. That’s my goal coming to Washington. I felt like a starter. I knew that I could be a Day 1 starter, and that’s what I’m here to prove.”
Allegretti follows former Chiefs teammate to Washington
While Allegretti certainly made the best of the open market to get a nice deal – his three-year contract in Washington includes $9.02 million guaranteed, the reason he’s leaving Arrowhead is to guarantee himself a starting spot.
Nick Allegretti (73) warms up for the Kansas City Chiefs game versus the Baltimore Ravens on September 19, 2021 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD.
The Commanders are entering the new season with a new-look offensive line, though two starters from 2023 are expected to return. One of them is right tackle Andrew Wylie, who spent five years in Kansas City before moving to the capital city last year. Now, Allegretti is following in his former teammate’s footsteps.
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Allegretti’s time with the Chiefs: three rings but few starts
The Illinois product has so far spent his entire time in the NFL with the Chiefs, winning three rings in five seasons in Kansas City. Though he never struggled to see the field, his time on the field couldn’t guarantee him a place as a starter.
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Selected in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Allegretti went on to make 74 regular-season appearances with the Chiefs, but with only 13 starts.
He took part in all 17 games of the 2023 regular season, starting just once. The postseason was a different story, since left guard Joe Thuney’s pec injury in the divisional round paved the way for Allegretti to start both in the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl LVIII.
