BYU great Khyiris Tonga overcame the odds, secured $21 million deal with KC Chiefs

Khyiris Tonga has reportedly agreed to a three-year, $21 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs with $14 million guaranteed.

This is an incredible testament of perseverance, hard work, and overcoming the odds for the former BYU standout. Few people could have predicted this is where Tonga's career would be today based on how his NFL journey started five years ago.

Khyiris Tonga's early ups and downs

After an excellent career at BYU, Tonga was a seventh round pick in the 2021 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears. He was the 250th player selected in the draft that featured 259 players taken, so he was literally minutes away from beginning his NFL journey as an undrafted free agent instead of a draft pick.

Expectations for seventh round pics in are low. A relatively small percentage of them go on to have meaningful professional careers. Even then, Khyiris made the Bears 53-man roster as a rookie and appeared in 15 games with two starts. He produced 24 tackles in Chicago and filled his assignment to eat blocks, which is a promising rookie season for a seventh rounder. But the Bears inexplicably released him after his mostly productive rookie season.

Tonga then landed with the Minnesota Vikings for two seasons appearing in 26 games with four starts and 43 tackles. However, his performance didn’t lead to a long-term contract. Instead, he left Minnesota to play on a one-year deal in 2024 with the Arizona Cardinals where in 13 games he had 22 tackles.

Tonga's breakout 2025 season with the Patriots

Then everything changed last year when he joined the New England Patriots. He was a perfect fit in their defensive scheme and made an impact in helping the Pats reach the Super Bowl. He started eight of 14 games last year with 24 more tackles. New England even deployed him in the backfield on offense as a lead blocker. PFF graded him out as the No. 38 of 134 interior defensive lineman.

After last season's success there was little doubt Khyiris was going to get paid this year. The question was just which team would give him the best combination of opportunity and compensation. It’s somewhat surprising the Patriots didn’t do what it took to retain him to keep continuity as they look to return to the Super Bowl this upcoming season, but the salary cap doesn’t always permit that.

In any event, he is landing in a perfect spot in Kansas City. While the Chiefs head coach and BYU alum Andy Reid has something of a soft spot in his heart for former Cougars, the decision to sign Tonga is all about getting Patrick Mahomes and his team back to the Super Bowl.

In Kansas City Tonga will fit nicely alongside fellow defensive tackle Chris Jones in the Chiefs 4–3 base defense. Tonga should start, and he should make an impact. Entering his age-30 season he is still on the edge of his prime. As a rotational player for the last four years, he still doesn’t have all that much wear on his tires.

From a personal standpoint, assuming he plays all three years on this contract, $21 million will change the trajectory of his life. At minimum he has $14 million guaranteed. And kudos to him for that! As a late-round pick and NFL journeyman, Khyiris Tonga had nothing handed to him. He had to overcome the odds and prove almost every season why he deserved a roster spot somewhere in the NFL.

Watching Tonga's breakout campaign last year for the AFC champion Patriots was a joy.

Watching him make an impact over the next three years in Kansas City as the Chiefs look to regain their Super Bowl form will be awesome!