Kansas City Chiefs: Three possible extension candidates
By John McCarty
Mitchell Schwartz – Right Tackle
Mitchell Schwartz had not missed a game during his entire career, only missing one or two snaps before a back injury has derailed his 2020 season, causing him to appear in only six games thus far this season. Back injuries, especially for linemen, can be scary, as at times they can linger and really hamper a player’s ability to stay healthy and productive for the remainder of their careers.
Perhaps this discussion is easier had Lucas Niang, the team’s 2020 third round pick not opted out of the season. The Chiefs could pencil the rookie into the right tackle spot in 2021 and move on. However, is that still a possibility as he has not practiced or been with the team all season? Do the Chiefs look for a way for Schwartz to return albeit at a lower cap number?
Schwartz is currently set to count $10.005 million against the cap, the last year of his contract. His salary is not guaranteed, the only portion that would count as dead money is the prorated signing bonus number, $3.750.
The Chiefs can save $6.255 million in releasing the veteran tackle, but they have no ready replacement on a team ready to compete for a Super Bowl. The drop in salary cap could help the Chiefs here, as the going rate for tackles over 30 with back issues isn’t a strong market. I’ll try to do a deal that doesn’t completely insult Schwartz, but also works for the Chiefs.
- Three-year contract
- $18 million contract ($6 million AAV per year)
- $6 million signing bonus ($2 million per season cap hit)/$9 million total guaranteed
- $2 million 2021 salary
The Chiefs lock up Schwartz for the 2021 season and the 2022 season. The tackle will count $4 against the 2021 cap reducing his cap charge down $6 million dollars, and there is reduced guaranteed money remaining after the 2021 season. As with most veteran contracts, a vast majority of the salary is pushed to the last year, keeping the veteran tackle at an affordable number for two seasons
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The offseason will be interesting with numerous decisions to make for the future.
The Chiefs’ offseason is sure to be interesting. Sammy Watkins, Demarcus Robinson, and Bashaud Breeland are set to be free agents after this season and unlikely to return. The downturn in the salary cap will certainly affect the Chiefs, as it will a lot of teams.
The Chiefs may look to simply keep both their tackles around for the next season or two, knowing they have a quality left tackle in Eric Fisher and hoping an offseason can help Mitchell Schwartz find his form for another season or two. They also know Lucas Niang is coming back and could provide depth and compete for a starting spot as a tackle either during 2021 or going into 2022.
The Chiefs value Tyran Mathieu for his contributions both on and off the field and will certainly look to make sure to keep him around for the future. Extending him is a no brainer.
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Hopefully, the Kansas City Chiefs can get at least one of these extensions done this offseason, but all three would keep this team strong moving forward. They’d remain Super Bowl contenders with these extensions in place.