Report: Kansas City Chiefs sign Kevin Knowles to undrafted free agent deal

The Kansas City Chiefs are signing Florida State Seminoles cornerback Kevin Knowles as a priority free agent. This comes after he spent his entire four-year college career with Florida State.

The deal was first reported by Aaron Wilson. He listed the deal being for $220,000 total guaranteed with a $20,000 signing bonus, and $200,000 of salary guaranteed. It’s also noted that Marty Magid of MRM Sports negotiated the deal.

Kevin Knowles came to Florida State as a four-star recruit in the Class of 2021, according to the On3 Industry Rankings after playing his high school football at McArthur in Hollywood, Florida. He was the 350th-ranked player nationally and the 31st-ranked corner in that recruiting cycle.

While at Florida State, Knowles helped the Seminoles go from 5-7 in his freshman season to back-to-back seasons with at least 10 wins. That included winning the ACC as a junior and going to the Orange Bowl.

Over the course of his college career, Kevin Knowles appeared in 50 games for Florida State and was a key member of the defense going back to his freshman season. That includes 32 games where he was a starter for the Seminoles on defense. In that time, he finished his career with 113 total tackles, five tackles for a loss, and one sack. In coverage he had 11 passes defended and an interception for his career.

As a senior, the majority of Knowles’ playing time came as a nickleback. That includes 11 starts in that role.

Now, Kevin Knowles is set to join the Kansas City Chiefs, one of the NFL’s best franchises in recent seasons. Since 2019, Kansas City has won three Super Bowls and played in five Super Bowls. That includes winning two out of the last three Super Bowls and playing in three straight.

Despite that success, Kansas City had issues on defense last season. Their passing defense gave up 218.8 yards per game in 2024. That was ranked 18th in the NFL. Their 13 interceptions were tied for 12th in the league. So, the secondary has room to take a step forward next season.

Along with Kevin Knowles joining as an undrafted free agent, Kansas City drafted Nohl Williams, a defensive back from California. In free agency, they added Kristian Fulton at cornerback as well, with Fulton projected to start. Together, that group is hoping to add depth and spark the Kansas City secondary.