The Kansas City Chiefs want to be better in 2022. Brett Veach has a hefty to-do list
Welcome to another offseason of unknowns surrounding the Chiefs’ roster.
A total of 24 players from the 53-man team of 2021, including safety Tyrann Mathieu and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., are eligible to become unrestricted free agents when the NFL’s new calendar year begins on March 16.
The Chiefs won’t be able to keep everyone. That’s the nature of football in the NFL.
So general manager Brett Veach is focused on the business side of the game, especially with the NFL’s salary cap for 2022 still undetermined.
“Those are some of the things as we work through the next few weeks — trying to acquire as much information as we can,” Veach said. “It’ll help guide us in what we do.
“I’d love to sit here and say the cap is going to balloon to an astronomical number in ‘23 and do all these things, but my gut tells me that won’t be the case. It’ll be much more gradual, and we’ll have to also utilize that into our equation in how we approach this offseason.”
BRETT VEACH AND THE NFL SALARY CAP
While the NFL won’t announce the new cap figure until the start of the new league year is near, early estimates place it at $208.2 million, an increase from the 2021 figure of $182.5 million.
That means that, much as he did last offseason, Veach will need to work some cap magic. The Chiefs project to have somewhere between just $3.4 million to $3.7 million to spend in free agency, barring any cap-related moves.
The team isn’t in the red, but it’s barely in the green. So it makes sense for the Chiefs to consider restructuring one or more current deals, such as the one binding quarterback Patrick Mahomes, or their contract with defensive end Frank Clark, in an effort to free up some additional cap space.
The Chiefs need some extra cash flow if they intend to re-sign Mathieu, a three-time All-Pro who will likely command a high price tag in Kansas City or on the open market. The same though process applies to Brown, for whom the Chiefs traded last year knowing he would play the 2021 season in the final year of his rookie contract.
The Chiefs must also decide how to approach pass rusher Melvin Ingram, defensive tackle Jarran Reed, wide receiver Byron Pringle and running back Darrel Williams before the start of free agency.
Early in the 2021 offseason, Veach restructured the organization’s contracts with tight end Travis Kelce and defensive lineman Chris Jones. The two moves provided more than $20 million in cap space, which allowed the Chiefs to make a splashy signing — guard Joe Thuney — on the first day of free agency.
Reworking one or more existing contracts could again be a key part of the Chiefs’ game plan.
“These things are all fluid,” Veach said. “They all have moving parts. One move is probably a result of either a move that you did make or didn’t make. So now it’s just a process of letting all that stuff work out.”
Navigating the salary cap is but one concern for the Chiefs this offseason. Here’s a look at two spots on offense that the Chiefs must address.
FRANCHISE TAG FOR ORLANDO BROWN JR.?
The NFL’s tag two-week franchise tag window opens on Tuesday and closes on Tuesday, March 8.
Of the Chiefs’ players who are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents at the start of the league’s new calendar year, Brown makes the most sense to receive the tag.
The Chiefs paid a steep price to acquire Brown from the Ravens last year. They sent Baltimore their first-, third- and fourth-round picks in 2021, as well as this year’s fifth-round selection, in exchange for Brown and two picks: the Ravens’ second-rounder in 2021 and sixth-rounder for 2022.
Placing the franchise tag on Brown would not be cheap. It could cost the Chiefs a projected $16.5 million. But it’s clear the Chiefs value Brown, who was selected to his third straight Pro Bowl this past season.
“We’ll certainly work and get him done,” Veach said. “We expect him to be our left tackle moving forward.”
MORE WEAPONS FOR PATRICK MAHOMES
The Chiefs spent a lot of capital on their offensive line in 2021, orchestrating a complete overhaul to protect Mahomes. The result was five new starters, including three rookies, to start the season.
With their beefed-up offensive line now in place, pending developments with Brown, Veach is likely to turn his attention toward giving Mahomes and the offense more skill-position weapons alongside Kelce and star receiver Tyreek Hill.
In terms of receivers, Hill and Mecole Hardman remain under contract. Pringle, who finished the season with 42 catches for 568 yards and five touchdowns, and Demarcus Robinson are about to become unrestricted free agents. Special teams standout Marcus Kemp is a restricted free agent.
in the tight ends group, Kelce and Noah Gray, the team’s fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft, return under contract. But Blake Bell’s one-year deal expires at the start of the new calendar year. Jody Fortson, who landed on injured reserve with a ruptured Achilles tendon after a promising start to the regular season, is an exclusive-rights free agent.
And among the Chiefs’ running backs, only Clyde Edwards-Helaire is under contract for 2022. Darrel Williams, Jerick McKinnon and fullback Michael Burton are eligible to become unrestricted free agents, while Derrick Gore is an exclusive-rights free agent.
The good news is that the Chiefs have options for strengthening their roster, either through free agency or this year’s draft. And they don’t believe they need to mortgage their future to do so.
“If there’s any way we can get better,” Veach said, “and there’s any way we can get Pat Mahomes more weapons, we’ll do that.”
This story was originally published February 21, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
