The Kansas City Chiefs are in a tough spot in 2021, already over the projected NFL salary cap.
The NFL salary is going down in 2021. While there is an unknown of where it will end up, the question of what that number will be is going to be an interesting subject to follow through the end of the season and into the offseason. However, what is known, the Kansas City Chiefs will need to address their salary cap for the 2021 season. Money will need to be freed up to fill the roster in the teams’ hope of continuing their run of consistent competitiveness.
There are multiple ways to skin a cat if you were, from outright releasing a player to extending their contracts, lowering their 2021 cap number, or possibly looking into a trade. We will explore options here. Note, players will appear in multiple categories.
All salary cap numbers and figures come from overthecap.com.
Players who are unlikely to return in 2021
Every year there are players unlikely to return to the squad for the next season, put on notice if you will when they become more expensive to keep than to send on to a new destination. There are a few players in that category, some are unlikely to return and some are likely to have an opportunity to get a new contract.
Anthony Hitchens
The linebacker came in and has been a disappointment basically since he arrived. However, his contract is an issue even after this season. A big cap number will need to be addressed after this season as Hitchens certainly can’t come back in 2021 with his $10.723 million cap number he’s due for next season. Leading into the 2019 season, Hitchens converted $5.695 million of salary into a signing bonus, so a release will have to deal with this issue.
His release however carries $8.447 million in dead cap money. The Chiefs can designate him as a June 1 cut, meaning they split the dead money between two seasons, carrying $4.223 million in both 2021 and 2022. The other issue is that the Chiefs are unable to take advantage of the cap savings until June, as they have to ‘carry’ Hitchens’ contract on the books until then.
Damien Williams
The running back, an opt-out from the 2020 season, will now be entering the last year of his contract in 2021. This past season the Chiefs used their top pick on Clyde Edwards-Helaire, meaning it’s unlikely for the Super Bowl hero to return. Williams is scheduled to carry a $2.658 million cap number in 2021, with 533K in dead money if he is released. His departure saves the Chiefs $2.125 million in cap space.
Chad Henne
Having a nice, established veteran presence at quarterback has worked well for the Chiefs the past two seasons with Chad Henne. However, it’s time for the Chiefs to start using the backup quarterback spot for young cheap players as opposed to veterans. Henne is due a 2021 cap number of $1.625 but only carries 375K of dead money. His release saves the Chiefs $1.125 million.
Mitchell Schwartz
The injured right tackle is far more likely to restructure his contract than being released. However, if the Chiefs believe opted out rookie Lucas Niang can play that right tackle spot, a release isn’t out of the question.
Due to count against the salary cap $10.005 million in 2021, Schwartz’s release saves the Chiefs $6.255 million while carrying a dead number of $3.750 million. Again, a restructure (Schwartz has no more guaranteed salary, only prorated bonus numbers) is far more likely.