KC Chiefs: 2021 could be the last season for Frank Clark and Tyreek Hill

The KC Chiefs might have to part ways with Frank Clark and Tyreek Hill after the 2021 season. 

Frank Clark is probably entering the final year with the Kansas City Chiefs, but he won’t be the only star player on his way out after the 2021 season wraps up.

News this past week indicates the upcoming season could potentially be the last season in Kansas City for star receiver Tyreek Hill. A combination of money and other factors could influence a change in the organization and the future to come.

We will start with Frank Clark, the defensive end who I can’t foresee a scenario in which he is with the Chiefs past the 2021 season.

It needs to be first said, Clark has not been all that great with the Chiefs. Yes, he had a good end of the 2019 season and made big plays at the end of playoff games on the way to the Super Bowl. However, his sack numbers have not been there for Clark, and while the plays have been big at the end of games, there are not enough to merit keeping him in Kansas City.

Secondly, Frank Clark’s 2022 salary and cap hit flip around. The 2022 season is the first year in which Clark is more expensive to keep than to cut. As we sit here today, Clarks stands to count $26.3 million in 2022, per Over the Cap. If the Chiefs cut him after the upcoming season, they would save $12.7 million by moving on.

Frank Clark should be entering his last season with the KC Chiefs.

He simply has not been consistently good enough to merit the contract he has, and the cap savings are significant. And if Clark comes out and has a great season in 2021, the Chiefs would be in a position to trade the defensive end for a return, allowing another team to give him money and the team draft picks and/or younger players.

We next move to Tyreek Hill, the star wide receiver, who could also be on his way out of Kansas City after this upcoming season.

The issue with Hill isn’t that he isn’t producing or hasn’t been a vital part of the offense. It comes down to simply this — Hill doesn’t play quarterback, and that, to a degree, makes him a player you can move on from if the time is right. After the events of this offseason, it could help further nudge the Chiefs into trading the receiver at the end of the 2021 season.

What happened this offseason?

With the Chiefs reworking contracts, one name was left off the list — Tyreek Hill.

Set to be a free agent after the 2022 season, the Chiefs went into free agency hoping to move some money into future years, including extending the receiver. Hill and his agent, aware of what has been described as a massive jump in the salary cap coming in 2023, appear to have their sights set on free agency.

Tyreek Hill has the chance in 2023 to become the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history. Could Hill top $30 million in average salary? I say yes, it’s possible. When Hill signs his contract, the Julio Jones deal will be five years in the rearview mirror. With the rise in the salary cap coming in 2023 for everyone in the league, Hill, who will be 29 at the time, is set to cash in.

• 2021 salary cap: $182.5 million
• 2022 salary cap: $ 200 million (my projection)
• 2023 salary cap: $250 million (my projection of a 25% increase from the 2022 number.)
• From now to my projected 2022 cap number is an increase of 37%
• The Jones 2021 cap number of $23 million would equal $31.51 million in 2023
• Julio Jones is 2021 cap number equals $31.51 million by 2023 projections

Tyreek Hill will exceed this number.

And what does cash-in look like? While the structure of the contract matters, I could see Hill getting a contract in the neighborhood of six years and $200 million. That comes out to $33.33 million a season.

The KC Chiefs might part ways with Tyreek Hill and let him go get paid elsewhere.

Clark is playing his last season for the Kansas City Chiefs. Acquiring a mediocre defensive end with franchise tag expenses won’t make a player all of a sudden a star. That’s what has happened with Clark.

Hill is the discussion, not that the Chiefs can or can’t pay Tyreek Hill that much. It’s should you pay a player that much going into their 30’s?

The Atlanta Falcons are in a dicey salary cap situation because of their unwillingness to move on from aging talent. Also, there may not be a receiver in the NFL right now that can do what Hill does and has as good of a connection with Patrick Mahomes.

So, do the Chiefs pony up the money, or does another team pony up a trade package, likely similar to what the Jaguars received for Jalen Ramsey (two firsts and a fourth)?

The Kansas City Chiefs will definitely have some difficult decisions to make following the 2021 season.