As things stand now, the Kansas City Chiefs are in a tough financial spot this offseason. According to OverTheCap, they're nearly $54 million over the salary cap, and not even the raised cap was enough to get them out of trouble.
Fortunately for them, there are always ways to relocate some cash and get around those issues, and general manager Brett Veach is quite savvy in that regard. Things look bad right now, but they're just a few tweaks away from being solved. In fact, with just four moves, they could free up nearly $100 million in cap space.
The easiest way to clear some cash is to get players to restructure their contracts. Not all players are willing to do so, given that even though they get more cash upfront, disguised as signing bonuses, it hurts their long-term stability and makes them more likely to get cut in the future.
Chiefs Are 4 Moves Away from $100 Million in Cap Relief
1. Restructure Patrick Mahomes' Contract
That said, the Chiefs have three veterans who know they will be there for the long run. That's especially the case with Patrick Mahomes, who could give this team $44.36 million in available cap space with a restructure.
Mahomes is all but guaranteed to do his team a solid, especially if that helps keep Travis Kelce in town for at least another season. Besides, the Chiefs' QB1 leading by example might motivate other players to take pay cuts, including a certain defensive leader.
2. Restructure Chris Jones' Deal
Then, Veach can also get Chris Jones on the phone to restructure his contract. The veteran defensive tackle, who's slated to make $19 million in base salary next season, could free up $22.53 million in cap space.
Jones has been vocal about his desire to get back to the mountaintop. His contract negotiations with the team got messy, but he's a pillar of the organization and a fan favorite, so he would probably play ball as well. That'll be doubly true if the Chiefs can use the freed-up cash to address the defensive line, which was devoid of talent outside of Jones and George Karlaftis this season.
3. Restructure Trey Smith's Contract
Finally, the Chiefs can turn to their offensive line to finish the job.
First, they can free up $12.5 million by getting veteran guard Trey Smith to agree to a restructured contract. The Chiefs' offensive line needs plenty of help, even with rookie Josh Simmons showing plenty of promise. While convincing Smith might be a little trickier, getting the extra cash would probably make life easier by helping the team bolster that unit as well.
4. Release Jawaan Taylor
Then, it'll be as simple as letting Jawaan Taylor go. Taylor, who finished the season on Injured Reserve (IR) with an elbow injury, drew ten penalties in 12 games this year. He has logged 40 in three years with the Chiefs, finishing in the top three in every single campaign.
The Chiefs can free up $20 million by releasing him before June 1, and that should be a no-brainer move, given his subpar play as a blocker and his lack of discipline. He gave up ten pressures in his final four games, and even with the Chiefs needing depth at tackle, they can do better than this without having to pay $20 million a year.
This move is the icing on top of the cake, and it would allow the Chiefs to go from a negative $54 million to roughly $46 million in available cap space. That would allow them to bring Travis Kelce back while also giving them just enough wiggle room to make a run at high-end free agents like Breece Hall.
The Chiefs are against the ropes now, or so it seems, but getting back on track is easier than most fans realize.