Nick Bolton
LB
#32
Experience: 6 years
Height: 5-11
Age: 26
Weight: 237 lbs
College: Missouri
2026 SEASON
- Solo20
- SCK0
- FF0
- INT--
Biography
- Bolton enters his sixth season with the Chiefs in 2026.
- Originally entered the NFL as a second-round pick (58th overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Career Highlights:
- Finished second overall league wide in total tackles made in 2022 (180) and recorded the franchise's single-season best.
- Had nine games with 10 or more tackles in 2022, marking the most 10+-tackle games in a single-season in Chiefs history.
- Against the Denver Broncos (1/8/22), Bolton scooped up a fumble and returned it 86 yards for a touchdown. The fumble return ties for the fifth-longest fumble return for a touchdown in franchise history. It marked Bolton's first-career fumble recovery and his first career defensive touchdown.
- Led the team with 112 total tackles (70 solo) and 11 tackles for loss in 2021.
- Moved into fifth place for most tackles in a season (112) by a rookie player in franchise history, passing S Greg Wesley (101, 2000).
- His 612 tackles rank third in franchise history among linebackers.
- Led the club in tackles in back-to-back seasons (106 in 2024; 154 in 2025).
Postseason Career Highlights:
- In Super Bowl LVII in Arizona, Bolton returned a fumble 36 yards for a touchdown that tied the Chiefs 14-14 with the Eagles. Bolton had a similar play later in the game that was called back. His touchdown made him the first Missouri Tiger to score in the Super Bowl.
Honors:
- Was voted by teammates as a defensive team captain prior to the club's 2022, 2023 and 2024 playoff games.
- 2021 Mack Lee Hill Award winner, voted by teammates as best rookie.
- 2021 PFWA All-Rookie Team.
- October 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Month.
Transactions:
Re-signed with Kansas City (3/14/25) ... Originally entered the NFL as a second-round pick (58th overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Player Videos
Recent Games
| WK | OPP | RESULT | TKL | AST | COMBINED | SOLO | SCK | SFTY | PDEF | INT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TDS | FF | OPP FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Broncos | W 31 - 10 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| 2 | Colts | W 33 - 30 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 3 | @Dolphins | W 24 - 10 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| 4 | @Raiders | W 30 - 27 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Stats
Defense Career
| SEASON | TEAM | G | GS | TKL | AST | COMBINED | SOLO | SCK | SFTY | PDEF | INT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TDS | FF | OPP FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Kansas City Chiefs | 16 | 12 | 70 | 42 | 112 | 57 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| 2022 | Kansas City Chiefs | 17 | 17 | 108 | 72 | 180 | 99 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 15 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2023 | Kansas City Chiefs | 8 | 8 | 38 | 22 | 60 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2024 | Kansas City Chiefs | 16 | 16 | 73 | 33 | 106 | 66 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 2025 | Kansas City Chiefs | 17 | 17 | 73 | 81 | 154 | 69 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2026 | Kansas City Chiefs | 4 | 4 | 20 | 17 | 37 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| TOTAL | 78 | 74 | 382 | 267 | 649 | 338 | 6 | 0 | 23 | 5 | 16 | 3.2 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 3 |