The New York Jets seem to have a knack for returning former Kansas City Chiefs to sender.
About two years after Kansas City re-acquired wide receiver Mecole Hardman via a draftpick swap, the Jets on Sunday agreed to send defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi and a conditional 2027 seventh-rounder back to the Chiefs in exchange for a conditional 2027 sixth-round pick.
Speaking to media members for his second time as a Chief on Wednesday, Nnadi said he felt a little surprised to be back.
“I was getting my body right for the next day at work, and then the (Jets) GM called me and said, ‘Hey, I just want to let you know, we’re trading you back to KC,’” he recalled. “I’m like, ‘OK, that’s cool.’
“The only part I was really a little annoyed about was like, ‘I gotta move again! There’s stuff over there in my old place that’s still in boxes,’ so I’m like, ‘At least it’ll be a lot easier to just put it in the truck and go,’ but otherwise, I was fine with the decision.”
Drafted with a third-round pick in 2018, Nnadi spent six seasons in Kansas City, appearing in 115 regular-season and 18 playoff games. A classic 1-technique nose tackle listed over 315 pounds, Nnadi has long been known for run-stopping ability, which the Chiefs saw as a need on their initial 53-man roster.
Kansas City’s listing showed the front office favored Nnadi over Fabien Lovett, Marlon Tuipulotu and veteran fan favorite Mike Pennel.
“I think just a good inside player, and you can’t really have enough of those guys,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said earlier in the week. “He knows the system. So, getting back in there I think is a positive, and (general manager) Brett (Veach), we’re always a little heavy on O-line and D-line. I mean, that’s normally just to make sure we’ve got those areas filled.”
Nnadi’s return rounds out a defensive line room of nine, with names including Chris Jones — who was the first to call him upon hearing of the deal — other fellow tackles, such as veteran Jerry Tillery and rookie Omarr Norman-Lott, and defensive end Mike Danna.
“(Nnadi’s) here now; I think that’s a great thing,” Danna said. “Blessings for him. I think anytime you can bring a veteran leader like him, a guy who is knowledgeable about the game (and) also knowledgeable about the system. He had a lot of success in this system (in) previous years, he spent his last seven years here, so I’m happy to see him back. There was a big smile on his face when he got here so Nnadi hasn’t changed. (He’s) still the same guy. We’re lucky to have him again.”
After his rookie contract expired in 2021, Nnadi signed three consecutive one-year deals to remain with the Chiefs through 2024. He admitted he was caught a bit off-guard earlier in the offseason when Kansas City revealed it was going in a different direction.
“I felt a little hurt because this is the team that drafted me,” he said, before reconciling the situation. “But at the end of the day, they gave me the opportunity of a lifetime coming out of college, so I wasn’t mad or upset or anything. It’s part of the business. So, when the Jets offered me the opportunity, I was like, ‘By all means.’ And how this business works, I’m right back where I started, so it kind of works out the right way sometimes.”
In addition to missing the camaraderie of the teammates he spent half a decade with, Nnadi even said he longed for the Missouri Western State University dorms in St. Joseph.
During his first stint with the team, he partnered with KC Pet Project to pay for adoption fees, uniting hundreds of pups with welcoming homes. After the media session, Nnadi was shocked to learn that Bar K — the popular dog bar he visited with his dogs, Rocky and Saint — had closed.
“I wasn’t even gone for that long!” he exclaimed.
And the truth is, he wasn’t. Now wearing No. 92, Nnadi comes across as a man simply delighted to be home, ready to catch up on the new plays he missed while in New York.
“If anything, I felt like getting traded, of all things, again is part of the business, but at the same time I was focused on my business,” he said. “I kind of have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder because I was gone and I came back, so they’re bringing me back for a reason. In my mind, I’ve just got to stay focused on what I’ve got to do.
“Like words of a great speaker, ‘Be where your feet are.’”
