Brett Veach enters his fourth season as the Kansas City Chiefs General Manager and his 14th year in the National Football League in 2020. Veach was named the eighth general manager in Kansas City Chiefs history on July 10, 2017, reporting directly to Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt on all player personnel matters. Prior to being elevated to General Manager, Veach served as Co-Director of Player Personnel for two seasons.
"After a comprehensive search process, I am pleased to announce that we have hired Brett Veach to serve as the next General Manager of the Kansas City Chiefs," Hunt said in a statement upon his hire. "Brett has a sharp football mind, a tremendous work ethic and a keen eye for finding talent. Over the last four seasons he's played a critical role in building our football team. I look forward to working with him to continue to build on the strong foundation we have in place."
Veach enters his eighth season with the Chiefs after originally joining the club in 2013. He was promoted to Co-Director of Player Personnel prior to the 2015 season after serving two seasons as the club's Pro and College Personnel Analyst (2013-14).
In 2019, the Chiefs finished 12-4 in the regular season, notched a franchise-record fourth-consecutive AFC West Championship, and secured the No. 2 seed in the AFC. The club defeated the Houston Texans 51-31 in the divisional round and the Tennessee Titans 35-24 in the AFC Championship Game on it's way to returning to the Super Bowl for the third time in franchise history and first time since the club won Super Bowl IV following the 1969 season. In Super Bowl LIV in Miami, Florida, the Chiefs fell behind 20-10. Entering the fourth quarter, QB Patrick Mahomes rallied his offense, putting up 21-unanswered points to secure a 31-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers. Mahomes' performance earned Super Bowl MVP honors. At 41 years old, Veach became the second-youngest general manager to win a Super Bowl.
In 2018, the team notched a 12-4 record and third-straight AFC West title. The club earned a No. 1 seed in the playoffs and defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-13 in the divisional round. The win marked Kansas City's first home playoff win since Jan. 8, 1994. The Chiefs hosted the first AFC Championship Game in franchise history, falling 37-31 in overtime to the eventual Super Bowl LIII Champion New England Patriots. Following the season, Mahomes became the first player in Chiefs history to be named NFL MVP. That season he became just the second quarterback (QB Peyton Manning in 2013) in NFL history to throw for 50 touchdowns and 5,000 passing yards in a single season.
In 2017, the club compiled a 10-6 record and led the division for the second-consecutive season, marking the first time in franchise history the Chiefs had won the division in back-to-back seasons.
Since Veach was elevated to general manager, he has proven his competitive approach to building the roster is ongoing. Following the Chiefs Super Bowl win, Veach and his personnel staff retained 20 of the 22 players that started Super Bowl LIV, including notable contract extensions for QB Patrick Mahomes and DL Chris Jones. In 2019, he signed S Tyrann Mathieu and traded with the Seattle Seahawks for DE Frank Clark. Following the season, Mathieu earned the team's Derrick Thomas Award as the team's MVP, an accolade voted on by his teammates. In 2018, Veach acquired top free agents WR Sammy Watkins and LB Anthony Hitchens.
The 2020 NFL Draft marked the first time Veach made a first-round selection as an NFL general manager. With the 32nd overall pick, the club selected RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire out of LSU. In 2019, the club traded the 29th overall pick to Seattle in exchange for DE Frank Clark. The club's 22nd overall selection in 2018 was traded to Buffalo in 2017 in order to move up and draft QB Patrick Mahomes with the No. 10 overall selection. Prior to being promoted to general manager, Veach played an integral role in the scouting process of Mahomes leading up to the 2017 NFL Draft. Mahomes has earned NFL MVP ('18) and Super Bowl MVP ('19) in just two seasons as a starting quarterback.
Veach's success in the draft extends past the first round. In the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the club selected WR Mecole Hardman (56th overall) out of Georgia and S Juan Thornhill (63rd overall) out of Virginia. Both players went on to establish solid roles on the team their rookie season. Hardman was voted to the 2019 Pro Bowl as a returner, and Thornhill started all 16 games at safety. All six of Veach's 2019 draft selections saw action on the field their rookie season.
Veach also has proven his due diligence in evaluating talent year-round. One of his first notable transactions as general manager came in Week 4 of the 2017 season, acquiring then-rookie K Harrison Butker from the Carolina Panthers. Butker set a franchise record of 23 consecutive made field goals and finished the season converting a single-season record 38 of his 42 attempts (including two game-winners). He also recorded a rookie kicker record of 142 points scored in 2017. Prior to the start of the 2018 season, Veach traded with the Dallas Cowboys for CB Charvarius Ward. Ward solidified his role on the defense, starting all 16 games during the club's Super Bowl season.
The Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania, native joined the Chiefs after spending six years with the Philadelphia Eagles (2007-12). He served as a Southeast Regional Scout (2011-12) after originally joining Philadelphia's Player Personnel Department as a Pro and College Scout in 2010. Prior to entering the scouting department, Veach was the Assistant to Head Coach Andy Reid for three seasons (2007-09). Before joining the Eagles, Veach was the Supervisor of Intercollegiate Athletic Events at his alma mater, the University of Delaware (2005-06). He was a four-year letterman as a wide receiver for the Blue Hens, catching 99 passes for 1,470 yards (14.8 avg.). He left Delaware as the school's all-time leader in kickoff return yards with 1,558 yards.
Veach earned a bachelor's degree in health and physical education and a master's degree in education from Delaware. Along the way, he earned Atlantic 10 Conference All-Academic honors three times during his collegiate career. He was a standout running back for Mt. Carmel High School where he was named state player of the year in 1996 and was a two-time all-state selection. He was also selected to participate in the Big 33 game between the top high school players from Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Education: Delaware (B.S. 2002, Ed.M. 2004). Born: Mt. Carmel, Pa. Family: Wife - Alison; Children - twin sons, Elijah and Wylan, and a daughter, Ella.
