Kansas City Chiefs will let Derrick Johnson test free agency

The Kansas City Chiefs have made the very tough, but necessary, decision to not retain linebacker Derrick Johnson on his current deal. Johnson will test free agency this offseason.

We knew that this offseason was going to come with some tough decisions for the Kansas City Chiefs. In the back of all of our minds, we probably considered the future of Derrick Johnson to be one of those decisions. Well that moment has now come to pass as the Chiefs have decided to allow Johnson to test free agency this offseason.

For the past 13 years, Derrick Johnson has been a mainstay of the Kansas City defense. The four-time Pro-Bowler has been a captain, and the foundation, of the Chiefs defense for a long time. It will certainly bring about a mixed bag of emotions to see him moving on from KC.

For his own part, Derrick Johnson is being the class act that we all expect him to be. Johnson told reporters: “(the Chiefs) wanted to go younger across the board…I wasn’t in their plans, and I understood that.” The veteran linebacker indicated he would have worked with KC on contractual issues, but that it wasn’t an option the team wanted to  pursue.

The End Of An Era

The decision by the Kansas City Chiefs to move on from Derrick Johnson comes in an offseason where they are also expected to release linebacker Tamba Hali. Veteran punter Dustin Colquitt is also up for free agency this offseason. Johnson, Hali, and Colquitt are the longest tenured Chiefs on the roster, and the only holdovers from the Dick Vermeil and Herm Edwards era.

Kansas City does indeed appear to be looking to get younger. That began last year when the Chiefs drafted Kareem Hunt and Patrick Mahomes. They subsequently released Jamaal Charles last year, and have agreed to trade Alex Smith this offseason. The KC front office has also released veteran cornerback Darrelle Revis. The youth movement is on.

Related Story: Kansas City Chiefs: Kareem Hunt Report Looms Large

The veterans of the Kansas City roster will now be Justin Houston, Eric Berry, and Allen Bailey. However, Bailey is another player that could potentially be released this offseason. Apart from those three players, nobody else on the roster was here prior to the Andy Reid hiring. That’s a significant roster turnaround in just five years.

Maybe Not Goodbye

There is one part of this that could leave room for an asterisk for the Kansas City Chiefs. While the KC front office is looking to get younger, that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t consider bringing back Derrick Johnson at a much reduced rate. If Johnson tests the market and finds there aren’t many suitors for his talents, he may try to come back to the Chiefs.

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The big issue for Kansas City with Derrick Johnson is the value of an older player at such a steep price. Once Johnson’s deal voids out, the Chiefs could sign him to a new, and much cheaper, contract. The team has already taken similar steps in the past with Tamba Hali. So it shouldn’t be ruled out.

However, that is an unlikely scenario. There are plenty of teams out there that have the need of a veteran linebacker to help bring along their own young talent. Derrick Johnson will certainly find a suitor or two. There is still another way that Johnson could be back though. The linebacker has mentioned before that he’s talked with Andy Reid about a possible coaching future.

For now though, Chiefs Kingdom will be faced with an all-time favorite leaving the team.

The Kansas City Chiefs are going to be making some tough decisions this offseason. Derrick Johnson is just one of many players that the Chiefs are going to have to decide on in terms of their future with the organization. Expect KC to make some more announcements like this over the next couple of weeks.