Chiefs continue salary-cap savings, release inside linebacker Joe Mays

The cuts just keep coming with the Chiefs, who announced the release of inside linebacker Joe Mays on Thursday.

The decision to release Mays, 29, saves approximately $2.7 million off the salary cap. The Chiefs still need to cut approximately $2.8 million to get under the cap by Tuesday, the start of the new league year (and free agency).

Mays, who is listed at 5 feet 11 and 244 pounds, was limited to eight games in 2014 because of a wrist injury suffered during the preseason. He finished with 20 combined tackles in three starts in his only season with the Chiefs.

Mays was signed to a two-year, $6 million contract last offseason after playing for Houston, Denver and Philadelphia. He was set to have a cap number of $3.7 million in 2015.

The decision leaves only three inside linebackers, Derrick Johnson, James-Michael Johnson and JoJo Dickson, under contract for 2015. Josh Mauga, who racked up 103 combined tackles in 16 starts last season, is currently an unrestricted free agent.

Mays’ release is the latest in a string of cap-clearing moves for the Chiefs, who are trying to accommodate the $13.1 million franchise tag they placed Monday on outside linebacker Justin Houston. Over the last two weeks, they’ve released receivers Donnie Avery and A.J. Jenkins, tight end Anthony Fasano and now Mays, four starters from 2014.

Other players whose release would create a sizable amount of cap space include receiver Dwayne Bowe ($14 million cap hit in 2015), outside linebacker Tamba Hali ($9 million), inside linebacker Derrick Johnson ($5.2 million), quarterback Chase Daniel ($3.8 million), defensive end Mike DeVito ($4 million) and defensive tackle Vance Walker ($1.7 million).

The Chiefs can also create cap space by negotiating a lower salary with safety Eric Berry, who is slated for an $8.3 million cap hit but is currently battling lymphoma, and/or converting quarterback Alex Smith’s base salary to a bonus.

Still, the most bandied-about scenario to create cap room involves releasing the 30-year-old Bowe, who has averaged 58 catches and 713 yards in his two seasons under coach Andy Reid. Doing so, however, would stick the Chiefs with $9 million in dead money this season.

The Chiefs also could designate Bowe as a post-June 1 cut, which will save them $11 million in 2015 (with $3 million in dead money), but there are some catches. First off, a post-June 1 designation would not help them this month; Bowe’s full salary would remain on the books until June 2, which means the Chiefs would not benefit from the additional space unless they like some players who are released this summer.

Placing the post-June 1 designation on Bowe would also cause the Chiefs to have up to $6 million in dead money in 2016, so they’d essentially be kicking the can down the road on their cap issues.

What might make both sense for both sides is a restructure, though time might be running out on that option. Bowe is still their best receiver, and releasing him would make second-year pro Albert Wilson, who caught 16 passes for 260 yards as a rookie in 2014, their most productive returning player at the position.

That’s why receiver, just like offensive line and inside linebacker, is considered an area of need for the Chiefs this offseason. And while it remains to be seen how aggressive the Chiefs will be in free agency, more moves, like Mays’ release will need to be made to get any big-money players. At the very least, the Chiefs will have to make some more tough decisions before free agency begins Tuesday.

This story was originally published March 5, 2015 at 4:09 PM with the headline "Chiefs continue salary-cap savings, release inside linebacker Joe Mays."