Chiefs: Cap Map and Trade Diamonds

Chiefs: Cap Map and Trade Diamonds – what an offseason! It’s easy to get caught up in the current state of affairs if you’re a Kansas City Chiefs fan but there’s always another move coming right around the corner. Sure, many see this as a dry time of year for news coming out of One Arrowhead Way, but you can bet your sweet bottom cap dollar that the powers therein have not only planned out how they’ll make their next acquisition, or extend a player, but exactly how they’ll juggle the money balls to pay for it.

Let’s not forget that it was in August, in each of the past two years, that LB Reggie Ragland, OL Cameron Erving, Safety Jordan Lucas, and Cornerback Charvarius Ward were all acquired via trade. So, should we expect a trade this August? With the way NFL teams narrow down their rosters, it seems likely that someone who Brett Veach and his staff liked in the one of the recent drafts, who they didn’t get to draft, will end up wearing red and gold. Especially if they were a first round talent that didn’t work out for that team.

Let’s first take a look at where the Chiefs cap space currently stands.

Kansas City Chiefs Salary Cap

From askthecommish.com come these figures showing how much cap each NFL team is allowed in 2019: “The baseline cap for each team in 2019 is $188.2 Million. That is about $11 Million more than the cap was in 2018, $177.2 Million.” Overthecap.com shows the Chiefs cap situation as follows including unit breakdowns:

• • Top 51: $150,691,158
  • Team Cap Space: $23,668,937
  • Offense: $99,832,964
  • Defense: $65,367,180
  • Special: $5,920,000

Clark Hunt is making 31 players into millionaires this season and since those players are the highest paid, they’re the ones most likely to be traded or released, if the Chiefs need to create more salary space. Those players — and their individual Cap Savings if they were cut, are as follows (from overthecap.com):

The Need to Juggle Cap Money Balls

Being visionary, the Chiefs must have a plan in place (or scenario) to sign all the players they need to sign/re-sign over the next two years: including players other than Patrick Mahomes. Kendall Fuller’s contract ends after 2019. So does Bashaud Breeland’s. Charvarius Ward is the best CB signed for 2020 as of now. Sammy Watkins is the only WR with experience with a contract beyond 2019. You can be sure that a plan is in the works to extend Patrick Mahomes within the next 18 months, while getting Chris Jones and Tyreek Hill dealt with prior to that time is critical to the team’s long term success. 

My guess is that the Chiefs are planning to sign one or the other: Jones or Hill, to a long term deal. More on that later. If Chris Jones won’t be around long term, then Spagnuolo and defensive line coach Brendan Daly — because of their connections to defensive line players across the league — will join Brett Veach and crew in the search for another impact DL next offseason. Or perhaps they’ll come to believe over the next year that they already have Jones replacement on the roster — Speaks, Kpass, Nnadi, Saunders — especially if they can develop one of them over that time.

For our purposes here, let’s assume that this regime wants to keep both Tyreek Hill and Chris Jones and lock them both up for the next 3-5 years,.

Trade Diamonds/Release Treasure

While several Chiefs stand out on the list above, there are a paltry few who appear to be trade possibilities, and the number of real trade “diamonds” is scant. However, the number who could be released to create cap space is much higher.

Xavier WIlliams

X-Man came to the Chiefs last offseason as a free agent pickup. While he made some solid contributions, he probably won’t make the 2019 roster. New DC will want his DL to be able to rotate inside and out (DE at well as DT) which may be difficult for X-Williams. His release would allow the Chiefs to gain $1.8M in cap saving. If he doesn’t make the final 53-man roster we can add that amount to the $23.6 team cap space noted above.

Tanoh Kpassagnon

Kpass has been projected for a trade with the Cleveland Browns ever since John Dorsey took over there and because he drafted him for K.C. in the first place. However, if a trade was going to happen, you would have thought it might be part of the deal that brought Emmanuel Ogbah here. SInce that didn’t happen, lets see how he does in Spags new defense later this month and if he does leave, I’d guess it is his outright release, saving the team, just $537,162 (each half mil adds up).

Daniel Sorensen

If the Chiefs could trade Dirty Dan to, say, Philadelphia (because Eagles HC Doug Peterson is familiar with Sorensen) for a 6th or even 7th round pick, they’d unload his whole $4.69M salary. If not, he could end up being cut because all the other Safeties end up beating him out, the savings would then be $2.69M. That’s enough to make me think that the current Safeties are strong enough to sever the relationship and reallocate the funds.

If the above 3 players are gone this summer, somewhat of a likelihood, it raises nearly $5M more in cap space giving Veach $28M+ to deal with.

Dustin Colquitt

Dustin Colquitt will end his career as a Kansas City Chief, so I’ve reconciled myself to this end. If the Chiefs can find a way to keep punter Jack Fox on the active roster this year, he could serve to replace Colquitt in 2020. Otherwise, I think he’ll be cherry picked off the Chiefs Practice Squad if they attempt to hide him there. Colquitt’s contract goes through 2020 but if he’s moved next offseason the Chiefs could save $1.35M. Trading Colquitt seems even less likely but if they did pull that off they could save all of his $3.15M salary this year. If not, and he’s a cut — which I consider a Vegas long shot — the savings is $800,000.

Cameron Erving

The only way to move on from Cam Erving this offseason is by trading away his $3.1M salary because cutting him only saves one-tenth the amount: $302,707. The only reason you’d even consider moving Erving is because the offensive line is one of the strengths of the team. Plus, the offense represents 65% of the total salaries being paid out to the players, including Special Teams.

Diamonds: Tyreek Hill and Chris Jones

When it gets right down to it, the biggest trade diamonds the Chiefs have are Tyreek Hill or Chris Jones. It’s one or the other, certainly not both.

Jones and his agent caused part of the delay in his getting a deal done earlier as they originally believed holding out would get him Frank Clark money and I don’t think having Le’Veon Bell as a friend helped that situation either (remember the pictures of them working out together this spring).

Also, Brett Veach was/is in a wait-a-see situation on Hill so, while getting a deal done with Hill first, was a probably a priority (due to his connection – on field – with Patrick Mahomes), extending Jones became problematic until Hill’s suspension (or lack thereof) became known. Then, a possible new deal with Hill could become a lot more friendly (in terms of a hometown discount) simply because the Chiefs stood by his side (meaning: they didn’t cut him), throughout Hill’s ordeal.

Balance that (financially) with Jones “emerging” as a top NFL player at his position, all-the-while he’s only produced one season of dominant stats (2.0 sacks in 2016, 6.5 sacks in 2017, 15.5 sacks in 2018). So, there may be more of a perceived risk with Jones at a position where coaches feel they can win with stunts and schemes. Whereas, with Hill, you can’t teach his kind of speed, Hardman or no Hardman. Pringle or no Pringle.

One good reason I believe it’s Hill over Jones is Andy Reid’s history of what he values. In 2012, with Jeremy Maclin, Brent Celek, Jason Avant and LeSean McCoy on his Eagles roster, Reid re-signed DeSean Jackson to a huge deal, in which he made $11M that year. Sure, Hill needs to get clear of this scandal but once he does, a first rate deal is likely in the offing.

Since Jones and Hill were drafted in the same year, their rookie deals expire simultaneously next offseason. Consequently, if Hill escapes with a minor suspension he’ll likely enter back into contract negotiations first while Jones will play out his rookie deal in 2019 and get the franchise tag in 2020 and or be traded prior to his being able to walk away in Free Agency. The Chiefs plan will be to get something back for Chris Jones, besides a 3rd round Compensatory Pick, one year after losing him as a Free Agent.

With all of that being said, Tyreek Hill is the one the Chiefs could trade for a King’s ransom while having enough other players to fill in the blanks. Is there any replacing Hill? Not really. However, with Patrick Mahomes pitching the passes for the next decade and beyond, the Chiefs should have no problems getting the ball into the hands of their playmaking wideouts. The same can not be said for Chris Jones, at this moment. In a year, perhaps, but less likely.

Another option is to keep both Hill and Jones, then consider trading Sammy Watkins net year. As Lyle Gravesen said in his piece called, “Could the Chiefs Young Wideout Make Tyreek Hill Expendable?” he said,

“While cutting him [Watkins] is one option, if Watkins were to have a good season this year, it’s also possible (especially if they consider letting Hill walk) they could extend Watkins after this season and move some money around to get his cap hit for next year down.”

Instead of just extending Watkins and letting Hill walk, the Chiefs could trade him, and be done with his bloated salary, while Mecole Hardman develops this season and steps into Watkins role next year.

I’m in favor of the Chiefs playing hardball when it comes to contract negotiations with their stars and trading one of them may be the message they need to send to accomplish that. It also shows they are no longer in the John Dorsey, give big money away, era any longer. The New England Patriots use this method and it hasn’t hurt them at all, in fact, it has helped them maintain a championship roster over the years.

Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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