Chiefs DT's Cost Against the Cap & Draft
A deeper dive into the cost of the Chiefs DT's
This position group obviously starts with the star on the defensive side of the ball Chris Jones. Kansas City has made an addition at DT this offseason as well as resigning one of their own. It’s a position that they could use help at and one that has a very high overall cost currently.
Chris Jones
Let’s jump right into the Chiefs best defensive player and the contract extension that he signed before the 2020 season. After being drafted in the 2nd round at number 37 overall in the 2016 draft Jones took the NFL by storm. His play led the Chiefs to the Superbowl and a victory over the 49ers which earned him a contract extension just a couple of weeks after Patrick Mahomes signed his historic extension in 2020.
Jones signed a 4-year deal worth $80 million with $60 million guaranteed for injury purposes. His salary cap hits for 2020 and 2021 were about $15 million and $8.5 million respectively.
Obviously with such low cap hits in the early years, big numbers were coming in the later years of the deal. Jones accounts for a cap hit of $29,415,666 in 2022 and $27,041,668 in 2023. All but about $7 million of his 2022 salary was guaranteed on the third day of the 2022 league year.
Assuming no extension with Jones after this season his cap hit in 2023 could make him a potential salary-cap casualty. He has a bonus proration of $7.042 million but the cost savings against the cap in 2023 would be $20 million. I don’t think the Chiefs will make this move but it’s something to consider depending on his play this season.
Derrick Nnadi
Nnadi was a 3rd round draft pick of the Chiefs in 2018 at number 75 overall. He tested the free-agent market in 2022 but ended up returning to Kansas City on a one-year deal worth up to $2.75 million with $2.495 million guaranteed. Nnadi can help the Chiefs slow down an opponents running game but he doesn’t offer a lot in the way of pass rush with only 4 sacks in his 4 seasons in Kansas City.
Khalen Saunders
Saunders was a 3rd round draft pick number 84 overall in the 2019 draft. To this point, he has struggled to stay on the field and in the rotation over the past couple of seasons. 2022 will be a contract year for Saunders who has only played in eight or more games once in his rookie season. In 2020 Saunders only played in three games and in 2021 he played in seven. His cap hit for 2022 is $1,218,795.
Taylor Stallworth
Taylor is a new addition to the Chiefs this offseason having played with the Colts in 2021. He was a UDFA in 2018 and has played on a couple of different teams in his time in the NFL. Stallworth signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs that is considered a veteran minimum benefit deal which means they are allowed to pay him $152,500 more than he will count against the cap in 2022. His cap number for 2022 is $1,047,500.
Tershawn Wharton
Wharton was a 2020 UDFA and has played well for the Chiefs since he signed with them following the draft. He was paid a $5,000 bonus to sign with the team and his salary for the 2022 season is $895,000. This means he has a signing bonus proration of $1,668 for this season and his total cap number is $896,668. Wharton is an RFA in 2023 and is a player I expect the Chiefs to tender next year.
Everyone Else
The Chiefs have some other young DT’s on the roster including Cortez Broughton, Lorenzo Neal, Jr., and Darius Stills. Broughton has a cap hit of $895,000 while the other two are only counting $705,000 against the cap in 2022. This is a position that should be ripe for upgrading in the 2022 draft.
Positional Spending
The total cost of the 2022 salary cap for the Chiefs DT position is $37,633,629. Most likely however the cost of the Chiefs’ cap space for the DT’s on the roster when the season starts is $35,328,629 with it possibly being a little higher if they draft a DT depending on where they draft him. Chris Jones has the highest salary cap hit of a DT in 2022 and as of right now is in line to hold that spot again in 2023.
This is a position to watch in the draft and over this season as the Chiefs will need to figure out how to lower the cap number for the future.