The Kansas City Chiefs are releasing cornerback Kaiir Elam, a former first-round draft pick, just months after signing him to a one-year contract in free agency.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported the move Sunday as the team continues trimming its roster ahead of the NFL’s 6 p.m. ET deadline for setting the initial 53-man roster.
“Sources: The #Chiefs are releasing CB Kaiir Elam. Former 1st-round pick was signed this offseason,” Schultz reported on X.
Elam, 25, will not make Kansas City’s opening-day roster after joining the club during the 2026 offseason.
The Florida product entered the NFL as the Buffalo Bills’ first-round selection in the 2022 draft, taken 23rd overall. Buffalo later traded him to the Dallas Cowboys in a late-round pick swap while Elam was in the final year of his four-year, $13.69 million rookie deal.
Dallas declined Elam’s fifth-year option and waived him during the 2025 season. He then signed with the Tennessee Titans.
In 2025, Elam played seven games for the Cowboys and four for the Titans. He finished that season with 33 tackles, one tackle for loss, two fumble recoveries and two passes defended.
Across his first four NFL seasons, Elam has appeared in 43 games with 19 starts. His career totals include 114 tackles, eight passes defended, two interceptions and three fumble recoveries.
Kansas City brought Elam aboard in April 2026 after trading All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie and losing starter Jaylen Watson in free agency, both to the Los Angeles Rams.
The addition was intended to bolster a secondary that also featured veteran Kristian Fulton along with younger options.
Elam comes from an NFL family. His father, Abram Elam, played safety for seven seasons, including a stint with the Chiefs in 2012. His uncle, Matt Elam, was a first-round safety selected by the Baltimore Ravens in 2013.
Elam joins a growing list of players the Chiefs have moved on from during the cutdown process. The team previously waived rookie linebacker Wesley Bissainthe and rookie cornerback Zelmar Vedder. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Bissainthe is considering a return to the University of Miami to pursue another season of college eligibility.
Kansas City has also made additions during the process. The Chiefs acquired rookie offensive tackle Diego Pounds from the Baltimore Ravens, sending a conditional 2028 sixth-round draft pick in exchange, according to ESPN’s Nate Taylor.
All 32 NFL teams must reduce their training camp rosters from 90 players to 53 by the Sunday evening deadline. Elam’s release leaves him as a free agent once more.
At 25 and still in what many consider his athletic prime, the 6-foot-1, roughly 200-pound cornerback could attract interest from teams seeking secondary depth.
The Chiefs, coming off a season in which they missed the playoffs for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era, continue reshaping their defense under coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
