Steve Spagnuolo has another instrument in his defensive toolbox. The Chiefs on Tuesday agreed to terms with Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton on a two-year, $20 million deal with $15 million fully guaranteed according to insider Adam Schefter.
Fulton, 26, is a veteran defender the Chiefs will ask to lock down the field opposite Trent McDuffie in Spagnuolo’s secondary, allowing McDuffie to better match up with opponents. A 5-11, 197-pound cornerback out of LSU, Fulton spent last season with Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers after Mike Vrabel and the Titans selected him in the second round of the 2020 draft.
Chiefs observers will remember that Fulton was the Chargers player who picked off Patrick Mahomes on Sept. 29 at SoFi Stadium. Fulton undercut intended receiver Travis Kelce, then returned the ball 29 yards before Rashee Rice forced a fumble out of bounds.
In trying to tackle Fulton near the sideline, Mahomes lowered his shoulder and inadvertently contacted Rice’s knee. Carted off after the play, Rice underwent surgery to repair his lateral collateral ligament and missed the rest of the season after just four games.
The play also marked Fulton’s only interception on the season. He sustained his own knee injury in that game but missed only the following week. Despite pulling a hamstring later in the season, Fulton missed only two games for the Chargers in 2024.
In five NFL seasons, Fulton has five interceptions, 32 passes defensed, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. His best career year was 2021, when he helped Tennessee to an AFC South title with two interceptions and 14 passes broken up.
Fulton’s 2024 season with the Chargers was a rebound from 2023, when he struggled in his final campaign with the Titans. According to the Pro Football and Sports Network, Fulton allowed opponent quarterbacks a 114.1 passer rating and 75.5 percent completion rate in 2023. Last season, he reduced those numbers to 103.6 and 62.5 percent, respectively.
Against the run, Fulton earned a solid 73.1-percent grade from Pro Football Focus last year in a Chargers uniform.
At LSU, Fulton and Derek Stingley played with Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Patrick Queen and Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the Tigers’ national championship team in 2019.
The Chiefs turned their attention to defense on Day 2 of the NFL’s free-agent negotiating period, after reaching agreements with left tackle Jaylon Moore and running back Elijah Mitchell on Monday. Over the weekend, Kansas City also agreed to terms with the heart of their defense, linebacker Nick Bolton, on a three-year contract to keep him out of free agency.
Kansas City also needs to formalize its decision to exercise the fifth-year option on McDuffie’s 2022 rookie contract.
