KANSAS CITY, Mo. — This week, receiver Tyquan Thornton experienced a new part of the NFL’s hoopla when it comes to the Super Bowl: radio row.

A year ago, Thornton was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad, a player who watched how his new teammates, after joining the franchise in late November, prepared to face the Philadelphia Eagles on the league’s grandest stage. That week in New Orleans proved to be pivotal for Thornton, who this past season had a breakout performance, one of which was the few positives within the Chiefs’ offense during a disappointing season.

As a four-year veteran, Thornton will go through another new experience in just a few weeks: the NFL’s free agency period.

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Thornton, 25, is indeed one of the players on last year’s roster who is expected to impact how the rest of the Chiefs’ offseason progresses. The Chiefs know there’s plenty of reasons why they should re-sign Thornton, who overperformed his base salary of $1.1 million by generating a career-high 438 yards and three touchdowns on just 19 receptions. He has plenty of interest in continuing his partnership with the Chiefs, too.

“I would definitely want to be back to Kansas City,” Thornton said Wednesday on Sports Radio 810 WHB as part of his radio row appearances. “Wherever I go, I want to have my fair share of targets and go out there and contribute and play at a high level.”

Entering the league’s new year in March, the Chiefs have just five receivers on their roster — Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Jalen Royals, Jason Brownlee and Jimmy Holiday.

Thornton provides a combination of skills that are unique compared to those other receivers. He is the tallest, listed at 6-foot-2, the second-fastest, just behind Worthy, and tracks the ball the best on deep passes from quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Following a strong training camp, Thornton was a bigger contributor in September than anyone on the team could have expected, even with Rice serving a six-game suspension and Worthy sustaining a dislocated right shoulder on opening night.

“I knew he was going to be a good player, but he’s even exceeding my expectations,” Mahomes said in late September. “He’s stepping up whenever the opportunity has been provided for him.”

Thornton led the Chiefs in receiving yards after Week 5, posting 272 yards and three touchdowns.

“Going from New England, it didn’t go pretty well,” said Thornton, a 2022 second-round pick with the Patriots. “I wasn’t comfortable when I was in New England because I never got that chance to get into my groove. This past season, I was able to and I feel that’s really what it’s about in this league, finding that confidence and joy when you’re making plays.

Tyquan Thornton piled up most of his 438 receiving yards in the first half of the 2025 season. Adam Hunger/Associated Press

“The plays that I made this year, I made those routine plays in practice consistently. It was just confirmation to myself that the work you’re putting in is definitely showing. Now, it’s about, ‘How can I be better? How can I be more dominant?'”

Thornton’s favorite moment of the season was one that demonstrated his connection with Mahomes.

In a win over the New York Giants, Thornton sprinted by cornerback Cor’Dale Flott on a fly route for what appeared to be a diving 34-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. But the highlight was nullified once replay assist showed that Thornton didn’t secure the ball after he landed on the turf. On the next play, Mahomes trusted Thornton with another deep pass. The receiver redeemed himself by making a contested and acrobatic catch over cornerback Paulson Adebo for a 33-yard reception. Thornton celebrated the catch by raising his right arm and pointing his right index finger to the sky, an image that quickly became a meme on social media.

“He always expects the best from you,” Thornton said of Mahomes. “He knows I can go out there and make those plays. I appreciate him for throwing me that pass because I was able to make up for the one before.”

While Thornton reestablished himself as a viable receiver, the Chiefs didn’t maximize his potential in the second half the season once Rice and Worthy returned to the lineup.

One of the biggest criticisms last season for coach Andy Reid and former offensive coordinator Matt Nagy is that they took Thornton, one of their most effective receivers, off the field for long stretches, even as the team was fighting to stay in playoff contention and the offense was desperate for explosive highlights. In his final seven games, Thornton played above 30% of the offensive snaps only once — and that was in part because Hollywood Brown missed the game for personal reasons. In fact, Thornton had more kickoff returns (17) than targets (10) during that stretch.

“I feel like I’m just scratching the surface right now,” Thornton said. “I’ve got a lot more to show and prove to myself, man. I’m feeling good with what I put on tape this past season. I just want to capitalize and build off of it.”

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If Thornton re-signs with the Chiefs, he gave a preview Wednesday of how he wants his role to be increased within the offense, a unit that includes new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.

Too often last season, especially in the second half of the season, Thornton was asked to run a version of two routes: the fly or the post. In the loss to the Houston Texans, Mahomes threw a perfect deep pass in the third quarter for Thornton, who ran a post route. The ball touched both of his hands before cornerback Kamari Lassiter recorded the pass breakup. If Thornton made the reception, it would have given the Chiefs their first lead following a 48-yard touchdown. Using Thornton only as a deep threat in the second half of the season was one reason the Chiefs’ offense became more predictable to opposing defenses.

Another issue for Reid and Nagy was that the Chiefs struggled to find answers when Mahomes faced man-to-man coverage — and many of those snaps didn’t include Thornton. But he believes he can be a part of the unit’s solution if he earns more snaps next season based on his production from last year.

“I love going deep,” he said. “I can go deep, for sure, but in all my training camps that I’ve been in, when we do one-on-ones, I’m trying to run real [sophisticated] routes. I can turn it on and turn it off and show that savviness within my routes to create separations. I can do way more than just go deep.”