Looking back at the Kansas City Chiefs' 2025 season, it isn't difficult to point out underachieving or frustrating performances across the roster and coaching staff. While several players fell short of expectations, few were as disappointing as right tackle Jawaan Taylor. The veteran blocker has often been a source of frustration with pre-snap penalties, but this season was clearly a regression, starting with the fact that the starter only appeared in 12 games this past season due to injury.
Taylor went into the season with a $27.3 million cap hit, according to Spotrac, and a base salary set at $19.5 million. Both of these totals were incredibly high for what was one of the worst starters in the league. Taylor regressed as a run blocker and struggled to provide consistent protetction adding up to make him not only Kansas City's most overpaid player, but one of the most overpaid contracts league-wide.
Jawaan Taylor Wasn't Worth His Hefty Price Tag in 2025
It's hard to feel confident whenever Taylor is on the field. If he isn't letting opponents get to quarterback Patrick Mahomes, his lack of discipline often puts the Chiefs in worse field position.
After amassing 43 penalties in the previous two seasons, Taylor's inability to escape being flagged continued, garnering 13 penalties on the season despite playing in only 11 games. His pass protection was also lackluster, according to Pro Football Focus, as he gave up 20 pressures (12 hurries, five QB hits, three sacks) in his limited opportunities, which includes allowing multiple pressures in each of his last four games.
Although he only allowed three sacks, the Chiefs clearly can't rely on Taylor to help keep Mahomes' pocket clean. With all of this in mind, Kansas City has no choice but to attempt to escape a contract that is by far its most overpaid.
Parting ways with the lineman with a roster cut before the 2026 season will incur a dead cap penalty of $7.3 million, saving $20 million in needed cap space. It's hard not to like these numbers after how poorly Taylor played this season, making a divorce something that should be atop general manager Brett Veach's offseason 'to-do' list.
Should the Chiefs move on from Taylor, they have more than enough depth at tackle to survive his departure. Rookie blocker Esa Pole proved himself when he was thrust into the spotlight this season, while Jaylon Moore is still under contract for another year. That's without mentioning how Josh Simmons will be competing for a starting job after his wrist recovers, and there's always the possibility of GM Veach adding through the draft and free agency.
Moving on from Taylor makes too much sense and allows fans to get excited about a potential offseason of change. For Taylor, it's never been clearer that he needs a fresh start. He's still young enough (28) to land another payday in the future; however, he has a lot to prove before that happens, and if it does, it won't be with the Chiefs.