diff --git a/sys/kern/uipc_mbuf.c b/sys/kern/uipc_mbuf.c
index f3ea19fe64a..323426898d0 100644
--- a/sys/kern/uipc_mbuf.c
+++ b/sys/kern/uipc_mbuf.c
@@ -393,17 +393,13 @@ m_demote(struct mbuf *m0, int all)
 	struct mbuf *m;
 
 	for (m = all ? m0 : m0->m_next; m != NULL; m = m->m_next) {
+		KASSERT(m->m_nextpkt == NULL, ("%s: m_nextpkt in m %p, m0 %p",
+		    __func__, m, m0));
 		if (m->m_flags & M_PKTHDR) {
 			m_tag_delete_chain(m, NULL);
 			m->m_flags &= ~M_PKTHDR;
 			bzero(&m->m_pkthdr, sizeof(struct pkthdr));
 		}
-		if (m != m0 && m->m_nextpkt != NULL) {
-			KASSERT(m->m_nextpkt == NULL,
-			    ("%s: m_nextpkt not NULL", __func__));
-			m_freem(m->m_nextpkt);
-			m->m_nextpkt = NULL;
-		}
 		m->m_flags = m->m_flags & (M_EXT|M_RDONLY|M_NOFREE);
 	}
 }