4 Chiefs on Thin Ice Heading Into Free Agency
4. RT Jawaan Taylor
One of the Chiefs' biggest 2023 offseason moves was signing right tackle Jawaan Taylor to a massive four-year, $80 million contract. The former Florida product was a solid blocker across four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, averaging a 67.2 pass-block grade on PFF.
The initial hope was that Taylor could provide a similar level of protection for Patrick Mahomes.
Instead, the 26-year-old surrendered a career-high 59 pressures (42 hurries, 12 hits, 5 sacks) on 909 passing downs, finishing with the second-worst pass-block grade of his career (64.6). He also struggled in run protection, finishing a with a 43.3 run-block grade — fourth-worst among 79 qualified tackles. That's without mentioning the 24 penalties he took after only combining for 25 in the three previous seasons.
If Taylor was making a lot less money, his struggles would hurt a lot less. Instead, he carries a cap hit north of $24.7 million in 2024, which is a scary number given his latest performance. Cutting him at any point would put the Chiefs in cap hell, however, they can free up $10.55 million by trading him before June 1 or $20 million after that date.
Taylor is still under contract for three more seasons, so let's hope he puts everything together again. Otherwise, he might not survive the remainder of his deal in Kansas City.
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