Former Bucs safety Mike Edwards has signed with Kansas City Chiefs. This is according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. The deal is for one year.
Reunion: Veteran safety Mike Edwards is signing with the #Chiefs on a one-year deal, per source. Back with the team he won a Super Bowl with two years ago. pic.twitter.com/LovYMPNBax
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 3, 2025
This is the second time that Mike Edwards will join the Chiefs and also the second time he goes to the team after playing for the Bucs. Following the end of his rookie contract with the Bucs after the 2022 season, Edwards signed with the Chiefs in 2023 and won a Super Bowl with Kansas City, making him a two-time Super Bowl champ after previously winning with the Bucs in 2020.
Edwards joined the Bucs late in the 2024 season after getting released by the Tennessee Titans in mid-November. He only spent a week with the Titans after the Bills released him earlier in the season. Tampa Bay had a need for Edwards after injuries eviscerated their secondary for much of the season. He played six games for the Bucs and missed two more due to an injury he sustained in week 13 against the Panthers.
Mike Edwards’ Time With Bucs
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles and safeties Antoine Winfield Jr. and Mike Edwards – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Edwards played reasonably well after reuniting with the team that drafted him in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Edwards was a rare mid-season find for a complicated defense that asks a lot of their linebackers and safeties. He was able to immediately join the team and jump into the defense feet first because of his familiarity with head coach Todd Bowles’ defense.
Edwards played 25 snaps on November 24th against the Giants, just 10 days after the Bucs were awarded him off of waivers. He was inserted into the starting lineup just a week after that. He provided high floor play and helped solve some of the communication issues the defense was suffering through most of the season.
He finished the season in Tampa Bay with 11 tackles and a pass defensed.
Edwards made a name for himself in his first go-round with the Bucs as a ball hawk. After a rookie season where he deflected six passes, he then recorded five interceptions, including two returned for a touchdown, and 12 passes defensed from 2020-2021. What made these ball production numbers so impressive is that he did this in limited snaps as a backup. The Bucs were hopeful his turnover trait would continue to grow so they let Jordan Whitehead walk in free agency and named Edwards the starter for 2023.
Bucs S Mike Edwards – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR
Edwards still managed two interceptions, and three passes defensed in 2022, but given the extended playing time it represented a significant step back from what the team had hoped for him. He too was allowed to leave following the final year of his rookie deal and he signed a one-year, $3 million deal with Kansas City.
Despite a familiarity with an attacking, blitz-heavy defense, he struggled to succeed in Steve Spagnuolo’s system. Pro Football Focus credited him with a 56.9 overall grade and a 58.6 coverage grade. In 2024 Edwards initially found a home in Buffalo, signing another one-year pact for $2.8 million. Edwards was unable to beat out Damar Hamlin for the starting spot opposite Taylor Rapp. He played just seven defensive snaps over two games and the Bills eventually released him. The Titans signed him midseason, but he failed to get into a game before Tennessee let him go and the Bucs claimed him.
Now Edwards will fight for a roster spot with the Chiefs with head coach Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo once again.
For his career, Edwards has 247 tackles, nine for a loss, 3.0 sacks, eight interceptions, 27 passes defensed, a forced fumble and five fumble recoveries.
