Kansas City Chiefs face a pivotal offseason after a disappointing 6-11 season

“Optimistic for the future going forward here,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “(General manager) Brett (Veach) has the controls from here with the draft, and he and his guys will do a great job in the draft, and as we work through free agency.”

There is plenty of work to do.

The Chiefs not only had a streak of 10 consecutive playoff appearances end, they also had a nine-year dominance of the AFC West shattered by Denver. Their streak of seven conference title game appearances is over, and given the way the season went, it's almost hard to believe that the Chiefs played in the last three Super Bowls — with two wins.

But very little went right for the Chiefs this season, beginning with a loss to the Chargers in Brazil and ending with six consecutive defeats, leaving them with their worst record since going 2-14 the year before Reid arrived in Kansas City.

By mid-December, the Chiefs already had been eliminated from the playoffs.

Injuries may have been the biggest problem: Patrick Mahomes tore two ligaments in his knee, backup quarterback Gardner Minshew likewise tore his knee ligament and stars such as Rashee Rice and Trent McDuffie followed them to injured reserve.

But there also were glaring deficiencies on both sides of the ball.

“We've got a good nucleus of guys that are veteran players. They'll be back,” Reid said, “and I think you want that foundation, and that's where you start. And then you give Brett an opportunity to have the draft picks that he has and picking where he's picking; you know he's going to do a great job there. And then whatever happens free agent-wise, or guys we signed up — wherever that goes — you still have a long way to go to add people and do what you need. So, there'll be a fresh start coming up.”

Kelce's decision

The first big decision in Kansas City may lie not with the team but with Kelce, who is considering retirement. He said the choice to come back last season was relatively easy after a lopsided Super Bowl loss to Philadelphia. But with myriad interests outside football, and his engagement to pop star Taylor Swift, things have changed in his life over the past 12 months.

“I have so much love for this team, this organization and the people here,” said Kelce, who finished with 76 catches for 851 yards and five touchdowns. “I'll spend some time with them, go through exit meetings, get close to the family and figure things out.”

Health check

Mahomes is already well into rehab following surgery to repair his knee injury, and the Chiefs are cautiously optimistic that he will be ready for Week 1 next season. Everyone else who landed on injured reserve also is expected to be ready for next season.

Free agency

Among veterans due to hit free agency are running backs Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt, wide receivers Marquise Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster, cornerbacks Josh Williams and Jaylen Watson, safeties Bryan Cook and Mike Edwards, linebacker Leo Chenal and defensive linemen Derrick Nnadi, Mike Pennel and Charles Omenihu. Several could be back on team-friendly deals.

Draft situation

The Chiefs will pick ninth overall in April, their highest since taking offensive tackle Eric Fisher first overall in 2013. They have a slew of needs on both sides of the ball, but look for them to target offensive playmakers — probably a running back — and someone who can rush the passer after finishing among the league's worst in quarterback sacks this season.

Next steps

The Chiefs haven't been finished this early in a season in a decade, so at least in terms of getting a jump-start on next season, the next few weeks are a novel luxury. They'll spend it preparing for the NFL scouting combine in late February and the start of free agency.

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