Kansas City Chiefs: Three possible extension candidates

The looming drop in the league salary cap is forcing teams to do extensions for players to reduce their 2021 cap charge. These Kansas City Chiefs deserve extensions.

Due to the lingering issues of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFL is facing the likelihood of a drop in the 2021 salary cap. With that idea in mind, teams around the league have been moving to get extensions done with players, reducing their 2021 cap charge and create cap room in a season in which room may be limited. At the moment, based on an estimate of a $176 million salary cap, the Kansas City Chiefs currently sit $13.908 million over the cap.

While the Chiefs have re-worked contracts in past seasons, they have the opportunity to extend players we would imagine they would want around for the long-term and create flexibility in years to come as the Chiefs move toward a more expensive future with star players.

Reworking contracts — or ‘kicking the can down the road’ as it can be known may work in a short-term scenario or a unique, one-time situation — can lead to massive cap problems down the road. Oftentimes players have to be released just to get under the cap with significant cap charges lingering at times for multiple seasons.

The most recent example is the Dallas Cowboys in 2016 when they had to release a slew of starters including long-time starting quarterback Tony Romo just to get under the league cap. The Cowboys’ issues were covered up in short because they were able to get a starting quarterback in the fourth round with Dak Prescott.

With that, what players do the Chiefs want to keep and could extend?