Creed Humphrey Excited to Stay in 'Perfect Situation' Following Extension

With a new contract on the books, Humphrey is glad everything worked out and he can get back to focusing on football.

Sep 24, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey (52) takes the field prior to a game against the Chicago Bears at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports / Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Just minutes before they kicked off their final preseason outing against the Chicago Bears, news broke that the Kansas City Chiefs agreed to terms on a contract extension with center Creed Humphrey. The Pro Bowl offensive lineman is now tied to his drafted team through 2028, cementing him as a cornerstone piece for the franchise.

With pen put to paper, Humphrey is glad everything worked out. Speaking to the media following Monday's practice, he said wanting to spend his entire career in Kansas City was a priority.

"Yeah, a ton," Humphrey said. "I'm in the perfect situation for me. I'm playing in a place I get to call home and it's been awesome to call home for the past four years, and I've really enjoyed it. Getting this opportunity is awesome."

Humphrey expanded on why he's in the perfect situation, pointing to everyone surrounding him.

"Just the guys around," Humphrey said. "Coaching staff, everything is top-notch here. Obviously, getting to play with Pat (Mahomes), things like that. The whole situation is perfect for me, so I'm really happy to be here."

While it'll take another contract or two to ensure that Humphrey spends his whole football life with the Chiefs, he's off to one heck of a start. Since being picked 63rd overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, he's been nothing short of excellent. In three seasons, he's made all 51 regular-season starts, made a pair of Pro Bowls and earned second-team All-Pro honors. That's on top of logging nearly 700 postseason snaps and helping bring home a pair of Super Bowl titles.

Humphrey's new pact with Kansas City is unparalleled. The $72 million contract blows every other center deal out of the water in total value, average annual value and cumulative guarantees. Extensions for players like Frank Ragnow of the Detroit Lions, Lloyd Cushenberry of the Tennessee Titans and Ryan Kelly of the Indianapolis Colts now pale in comparison. Despite that, Humphrey didn't put a ton of stock in having to reset the market in such a major way.

"Yeah, for me it was just getting to a point where I'm comfortable," Humphrey said. "It worked out on both sides and it was a good process and, yeah, it worked out great. I'm excited about it. For me, I'm glad that's out of the way now. I can focus on football. It's good."

With Humphrey's deal done, Kansas City can move on to other 2021 draft picks like linebacker Nick Bolton and right guard Trey Smith. Both players figure to ink lucrative contracts in the future, although whether that's with the Chiefs remains to be seen. Humphrey said he and the team would "love to have everyone stay," which is a sentiment general manager Brett Veach has echoed in recent months.

Humphrey and Co. were overjoyed when the news of his contract came out, but he's now looking ahead to justifying the massive payday in the regular season.

"It was great," Humphrey said. "Everybody was telling me congratulations and everything. I'm excited about it. But for me, I had that day to be excited but now it's back to work. I'm back to work and I'm ready to work for the season, preparing for that."

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