Alohi Gilman spent the first five-plus seasons of his NFL career with the Los Angeles Chargers. On Sunday he gets them for the first time as a Kansas City Chiefs safety, and the man he will be trying to take the ball away from is the quarterback who came into the league with him. Gilman and Justin Herbert were both members of the Chargers’ 2020 draft class, Herbert at No. 6 overall and Gilman in the sixth round at No. 186.
“Yeah, it’d be a fun experience,” Gilman said Wednesday when he was asked about Herbert. “Obviously I got a good relationship with him, same draft class. We were the last two guys there before I ended up getting shipped off. But it was a good relationship with him. We’ve grown over the years. He’s grown as a player, and seeing him grow and do the things that he has been doing, it’s been awesome to see. Great person as well. You always root for guys like that, but it’ll be fun out there on Sunday.”
Gilman’s session comes near the end of the Chiefs’ full Wednesday media availability above, at roughly the 33:50 mark. The Chargers traded him to the Baltimore Ravens in October 2025 in the deal that sent pass rusher Odafe Oweh to Los Angeles. He started Baltimore’s last 12 games, and in March he signed a three-year, $24.75 million contract with Kansas City that includes $15 million guaranteed.
“For sure a unique feeling”
Gilman did not pretend the week is just another game. “It’ll be for sure a unique feeling,” he said. “Drafted there, sixth round, and was there for five and a half, six years. And a lot of really good relationships there that I have, and still have a lot of the core guys that I was there with.” He called it “a unique experience” and added: “I look forward to playing against them. Just focused on here, and being together with these guys has been great.”
He also spoke warmly about Jim Harbaugh, who coached him for the 2024 season and the start of 2025 before the trade. “Harbaugh is a great coach. Obviously a lot of experience, very genuine and a unique individual,” Gilman said. “So you respect coaches like that. I’ve had a great relationship with him, I still have a great relationship with him, and I wish him the best.”
Not much inside information to share
When a reporter asked how much he could help the Kansas City game plan, Gilman played it down. The Chiefs and Chargers meet twice a year in the AFC West, and Los Angeles now has a new play-caller in offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. Gilman pointed out that the Kansas City coaches already have plenty of experience against the Chargers from division games. “But kind of just little things,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it’s a big difference or big intel that you can give. We know who you are. You watch the tape and we adjust to what we got to do to make sure we get a winning plan out there.”
He knows McDaniel’s style from facing it when McDaniel was the head coach in Miami. “Yeah, definitely different,” Gilman said of the Chargers’ offense this season. “Seeing obviously a lot of shifts, motions and things that is a little more gadgety for them. It’s a little bit more unique, their style of play. So you definitely got to be on your game plan and be in tune and be ready to roll.”
For the secondary, Gilman named the weapons he expects to see. “Ladd McConkey, he’s a great receiver,” he said. “Played against him, know him.” He also mentioned running back Keaton Mitchell, his teammate in Baltimore in 2025, who signed with the Chargers this offseason, and said Los Angeles has “a whole bunch of good weapons” and “young core talent.” As for his old draft classmate: “Herbert with a great arm. He can put the ball where he needs to.”
Turnovers, and not peaking too early
Gilman has started all four games for Kansas City, with 17 tackles and one pass defensed, and he is still looking for his first takeaway of the season. He said the chances have been there, even if the margin for error is slim. “I think just being more intentional about it,” he said. “I think we’re in the right spots. We have the right opportunities to do it. I think we just got to capitalize on it. It’s hard to get turnovers, and it’s hard in general. So you got to make sure that you’re on your cues. It’s also a team defense type of thing as well. It takes all 11 guys.”
His best-known takeaway play came last December, when linebacker Kyle Van Noy intercepted Joe Burrow and handed the ball to Gilman, who ran 84 yards for a touchdown to finish Baltimore’s 24-0 shutout in Cincinnati. Asked where the Kansas City defensive backs stand coming out of the bye, he described a group that is still building. “I think we’re in a good spot. It’s a process. I’m growing, I got a lot of things I can do better at,” he said. “It’s just day by day, and you don’t want to peak too early. You don’t want to be too low, you don’t want to be too high. You just want to be right there, competing, growing, getting better.”
The Chiefs are 4-0 after their bye and host the winless 0-5 Chargers at Arrowhead on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. EDT on CBS.
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