Kansas City Chiefs: Cairo Santos Receives Original Round Tender

The Kansas City Chiefs Special Teams core will likely stay in tact for 2017 as Cairo Santos receives an original round tender from the team.

It appears that the Kansas City Chiefs will be keeping their Special Teams core unit in tact for 2017. The Chiefs used an original round tender on restricted free agent (RFA) kicker Cairo Santos. This was a largely expected move, but may not be the last we hear of Santos in Free Agency this offseason.

By giving Cairo Santos an original round tender, the Chiefs are playing a little fast and loose. Santos can either play out the year on a guaranteed salary of almost $1.8 million, or he can negotiate a long-term deal with the Chiefs or any other team. Should Santos come to an agreement with another franchise, the Chiefs would have the option to match that deal.

The “kicker” (puns always intended) here is that by giving Cairo Santos an original round tender, the Chiefs would not receive anything in return if Santos leaves for another team. However, that doesn’t actually give any real clarity into John Dorsey’s decision here. The Chiefs still have a number of options.

If no deal is worked out, Cairo Santos will play the year on the tender. That part is cut and dry. It’s the ability to negotiate a deal that is intriguing. It is entirely in the realm of possibility that the Chiefs are letting Santos find out what his market is before signing him to a contract. This is actually a pretty common tactic for GMs.

Next: Kansas City Chiefs: Free Agency Tracker

It would behoove the Kansas City Chiefs to lock up Cairo Santos with a long-term contract. Reliable kickers seem to be a rare commodity these days. So getting one who is reliable and young is definitely a plus. Hopefully we hear about a long-term deal sooner rather than later.