2018 Salary Cap
 

https://twitter.com/sinow/status/940953737736130560


Apparently with the new Verizon deal, caps going up

They all need a raise with the cost of living these days

Cap expected to grow to 178M.
Current cap is 167M

https://overthecap.com/calculator/kansas-city-chiefs

According to that, we are $6 million over the $178 million cap.

Trade Smith
Cut/Retire DJ
Cut/Retire Hali
Cut Ford

$35 million in cap space.

thats with Revis 10M cap number too.

All that means is these guys get overpaid even more.

:thumb:

It's time. The Chiefs have gone as far as they can with that group, even Dee Ford, because he has shown us who is. A total rebuild is NOT needed at all. Just get the starting QB on a rookie contract, and add to what is here and open a new window.

MOAR broheim

178M for this piece of shit team? Robbery.

What's Bailey's cap hit looking like these days? I'm 100% sure he's not worth whatever it is.

8 mill, and Harris makes 2 mill

Bailey looked better against Oakland but so did the whole front 7.

Also Houston looked like the old Houston so that’s nice

Chris Jones happened.

If you REALLY want to clean house....you can do the following and have a ton of cap space.

Trade Smith - $17 million
Cut DJ - $8 million
Cut Hali - $8 million
Cut Ford - $8.7 million
Cut/Trade Bailey - $6 million
Cut Ron Parker - $5 million
Cut Harris - $2 million
Cut Zombo - $1.1 million

Total Cap Space next season - $49.72 million. And that's with the huge bonus that Revis gets. Cut him and we're close to $55 million.

I like Bailey. They should keep him, he is likely better than whatever they are going to find on the market this offseason. It would also hurt the depth if they cut him.

Besides, we are already likely to have to replace one starting DL in Logan, adding Bailey to that seems like a tall task.

Then you’ve gotta sign some of our upcoming free agents and replace all those guys with guys not in the system

I’m all for trimming the fat, but turning over a big part of the roster at once is tough

That's why I said if you want to go total purge you could do that. Honestly I'd probably go with these and be ok with it.

Trade Smith - $17 million
Cut DJ - $8 million
Cut Hali - $8 million
Cut Ford - $8.7 million
Cut Harris - $2 million
Cut Zombo - $1.1 million

That gives you $30 million in cap space to fill some holes. The biggest hole would obviously be OLB but you've got KPass and Nicholas that can soak up some reps. Go get a guy on a 1 year deal like Mingo and draft one in the 2nd-3rd round range and we should be ok.

Keep Bailey. Draft another guy like Chris Jones and rotate them.

Lineman are the biggest risk for injuries. We've seen that the last 2 years from both the OL and DL. Those guys are valuable.

It's tough, but it's probably also time.

The roster, more critically the lockerroom, may well be getting stale. If they flame out again, that's 5 years with no meaningful progression. They'll be effectively the same team they were at the end of Andy's first season in terms of results.

Teams like that need to get a significant shakeup or they'll go south quickly. And there's a chance we're seeing a little of this already.

It won't be easy, but with a new quarterback and a new 'core' with Hunt, Hill and Kelce as the new lead dogs, you can just close the window on the DJ/Hali/Smith era Chiefs and move forward.

Part of that can easily mean cleaning house of some fringe guys that never really got better or who's backloaded contracts have caught up to their production.

Smith and Hali are gone, pretty much a guarantee. DJ may end up sticking around but with the Ir designation, I think they’re done with Ford.

They’ll have money to do some things for sure

We have gotten so shockingly little production opposite of Houston this year that it will be virtually impossible to get any worse over there.

Personally I'd cut Bailey as well - he'd never see $8 million on the open market. His signing bonus might approach that so for 1 year he could, but his cap hit wouldn't be that high. If they want to restructure him to save $3 million I could live with that, but he's not worth that hit next year. He's plateaued and despite his size has become pretty fungible.

This was always gonna be Smith, Hali and DJs swan song. They’re elsewhere or retired next year I’d imagine that’s basically a fine deal.

They need some more young infusion on d and the offense could use a LG and another te or we.

But a lot of that needs to come from the draft

This has to be a complete house cleaning year. The product is stale, age and stupid back end bloated contracts on people that were past their prime when signed is killing this team.

It might be up to 40% or more new roster come next year...

This

And with Hali playing more this last weekend, effectively, we saw what Houston can be when other guys are decent.

They need more athletes and speed on the DL

They’ll hav about the normal roster turnover as the rest of the league, it’s just that a lot of it is gonna be bigger name guys.

I like the way you think! :clap:

I see at least 6-7 more guys on that list from D-backs to O-line to defense.

Add a few pieces to this defense with that money and maybe an Allen Robinson and we'll be good. Im not sure what the free agent Guard situation looks like but id love to get a good LG.

Agreed. I'm not saying cut those guys to get into the FA pool - that rarely works out.

I'm saying cut those guys because you just need new voices in the huddle and fresh blood on the field. I'm hopeful that McQuay can show out a bit because he has some serious tools and sure would look nice in the safety group alongside Berry. I think we have obvious keeper in Ragland and honestly him and KPL have looked like a solid interior.

So if you can use some draft capital on another CB and OLB, you already have some younger in-house options that may be ready to ascend to more prominent gametime/leadership roles.

But sometimes that means shuffling out some old dudes.

Or go all out for Lawrence from Dallas lol

"Never let a crisis go to waste..."

If they flame out and miss the playoffs or put up another effort that ends short of the AFC Championship game, I think you have the excuse you need to sell a pretty significant overhaul to the fans and the remaining players.

Yeah they’ll be some old guys get shuffled out. Has to happen.

I wouldn’t get that crazy on free agents either. It’s time to clean the cap up and get ready for the next window once Mahomes gets ready to go.

Other than who we’ve discussed here, who else is a possible homer that’s old though?

Colquitt probably but once you trim these old guys off, the roster is pretty young.

Smith's replacement is already here.
DJ's replacement is already here.
We'll need a replacement for Hali and/or Ford. KPass or Nicholas can help fill that role.
We'll need a replacement for Bailey (if we get rid of him).

ChUNT is being ripped off.

Man it really just shows how big of a **** up 15 and 16 were. Wasted chances. They don’t come around often unless your belicheck and you’ve gotta strike when it’s hot.

Nobody is scary this year O. Anyone can be beaten. We may get a Bottles "Flacco" fluke run.

I wouldn't get rid of many more guys than the obvious Smith/Hali/DJ, personally.

Those releases alone signal the turning of a new leaf. Those are three of the current leaders on the Chiefs, and two guys who are going in the ring at Arrowhead. Add on top the fact that Mahomes starts next year and it is a clear start from scratch IMO.

I don't think the 2018 Chiefs are dead in the water just because Mahomes will be in his first year though. If they don't completely purge the roster, there's still going to be A LOT of talent on the team. It's not like DJ and Hali are still incremental pieces of success, so losing them is more of a leadership void than anything.

I would keep guys like Bailey and Parker, those middle of the roster role players. Just use some of the newfound cap space to plug some holes and nail 2 or 3 draft picks, and I believe the Chiefs can go to the playoffs in Mahomes' first year as a starter.

Nobody really. But when someone says we don't want to turn over 40% of the roster, you get there pretty quickly when you start to include Bailey, Parker and Colquitt along with the obvious Smith, DJ, Hali, Ford moves. Sorensen could also be let go with some nominal savings and Zombo's not much of a cost savings but he just needs to be upgraded on. Ware is also a likely casualty.

You get to 9-10 guys who had starter/key reserve roles in a hurry.

I don't think you can get rid of some guys like Allen Bailey. This FA class is so god awful that we can't just turn over 40% of the roster.

I don't see any quality DL, CB or G's that would be available.

Wish it was last years class. I'd be handing the routing number to Calais Campbell and AJ Bouye.

*ahem* Bailey and Ron Parker, for sure.

Unless you're looking to switch to a 4-3 I'm not sure he'd be a scheme fit. You'd also be looking at paying $40m per year in just two pass rushers.

I am so, SO down.

Was just saying that to a friend last night.

Allen Baily is worth his 4M cap savings if cut. I would keep him.

This team hasnt been able to put together a solid DLine in decades, and Baily is needed to keep it respectable at this point.

Top teir D linemen dont just fall out of the sky.

How 'bout big Shel; is Richardson worth taking a gamble on? Alex Okafor's achilles rupture is disappointing - he looked like a great fit as a young FA.

I don't see a good way to get Demarcus Lawrence; he'll almost certainly get tagged. DaQuan Jones might be a nice fit.

There will be some guys.

Yeah but isn’t that pretty normal year to year for most teams?

Unless you’re the jags d who have been built thru the draft with seemingly every pick hitting.

I’m as big of a Richardson fan as anyone but 2 things come to mind....

I can’t see the Seahawks letting him go after giving up what they did for him

And with what you describe as an iffy locker room, is he a guy you wanna drop in there?

Papa Peyton Bowl and the Brady Revenge Tour. The way games were officiated those years, we had no ****ing chance.

The core is there, they need to add some better complimentary pieces to it.

I haven’t looked around at anyone though

$6 million in savings, not 4.

The best case scenario with Bailey is a re-structure that gives him another year and turns his $8 million due in '18 to about $10 million due in '18 and '19. change that contract to a 2 year deal with base salaries at $1 and $3 million with a $6 million signing bonus. That gives you a cap hit of $6 million this year (as his pro-rated bonus will still hit this year's cap) and actually gives him a little MORE cash in hand for 2018. The Chiefs then have him at a $6 million cap hit for '19 as well.

It creates some flexibility in both seasons and I'm not wholly convinced he'd beat that in the market. Maybe he'll call our bluff and take his chances. But he's so one-dimensional that I don't think teams will be beating his door down.

I do see one guy I'd throw some cash at.

Eric Berry, Ron Parker and...Kenny Vaccaro. That would be pretty damn formidable.

Might take a shot at Daniel McClullers as a potential NT. That sumbitch is 6'7", 350 lbs with 36 inch arms.

NO, they don't, but that aint Bailey.

Stale and iffy aren't exactly the same thing.

Perhaps the leadership void created by excising Hali and DJ isn't a great environment to put Richardson in, I'll grant you. But Berry and Houston are still the heart and soul of that group and I think they can manage it.

It's a risk though, to be sure.

I’m all for it, but I can see out problems

I think I'd pass on Vaccaro. He's got a name that'll command a decent contract yet he's been a bit of a disappointment.

It's possible that new coaching and a change of scenery could work for him but I wouldn't bank on it.

We've actually hit the interesting part of Houstons contract where we are a year or 2 away from a healthy restructure. Assuming you want to keep him in his 30s. If we are ever in a pinch we could always convert some of his base salary into signing bonus. This would actually be a nice option to consider maybe not this off-season, but the next one. Houston will be motivated to do it and maybe take a paycut if it means putting better guarantees on his contract.

With Berry back there, is go young unknown at safety. Or fh ap. They’ve done it previously and it’s worked out fine.

Star lotul.....whatever from the panthers is a free agent. He’d be a decent buy low option.

Anything that resembled a top 15 or better offense and we had a legit shot.

Championship defense and Alex led offense =s 15/16.

Our window has slammed shut, it rebuild again time for our next 5 year plan.

I agree with this

Parker is fine when Berry will be back, Bailey again is fine you are not going to get much better for that kind of money.

Logan is a mystery same question who are you going to get. Logan was good early on then started showing up on injury reports with Knee issue I wonder if he is healthy and just toughing it out knowing he is on open market either way.

Other questions are

What are you going to do for Mahomes? WR or compotent #2TE or both?

Defense are you going 4-3 or 3-4 Base? Things are set up for a transition but who knows. If you dont have that dominant Nose I dont like the 3-4 and worse when Houston is dropping into coverage so much.

There really isn’t shit available at OLB this offseason. They may have to hold on to Ford and just play out the string there.

you are right. I misread OTC and thought the 2M dead money was subtracted fromt that for some reason.

Either way I think we need him to stick around next year. I semi agree that a restructure would be nice, but why would he? Weak free agency class for defensive tackles and ends. His agent would probably tell him to just let us cut him and make more in FA.

Naw, I think a pass rusher can rush the passer in any scheme

I don't think it's that weak in the middle. Sure, it's thin at the top, but the 'fine starter' tier appears to be the same as it ever is. There are a lot of guys just like Bailey that will be available and most of them won't be entering their age 29 seasons. He's not a young player anymore and if teams are looking at mid-tier FAs, they're going to prefer younger ones and the potential they present.

Bailey's ability is pretty obvious at this point; he hasn't gotten a drop better in 3 years (in some ways he's gotten worse, IMO). I don't think there'd be a massive market for an obviously plateaued 29 yr old player who's new to whatever system he's put in (and is, to be completely frank, a very stupid man by all accounts).

Could be wrong.

Truly believe 2015 was that year, BUT for the massive amount of injuries in the postseason, that team was poised to make noise IMO. Just had a MASH unit at the end.

Yeah that team was playing well down the stretch

The ware and Houston injuries sucked

Man the 2018 free agent class sucks

Did Mahommes take over the starting QB spot?

If not then no, that's not gonna happen...ever.

Yes, which is why it's difficult to see the Chiefs move on from Bailey, Parker, Sorenson and maybe even Zombo.

Smith, DJ and Hali are definitely goners but that might be the extent of the big contract guys.

While Gaines isn't likely to return, it would be surprising to see them give up on a guy like Acker, who will likely play for Vet Minimum. If Revis finds the Fountain of Youth in 2017, it wouldn't be surprising to see him stick in 2018.

Veach will need to draft extremely well and make trades like he did this year for the Chiefs to be competitive in 2018, especially considering their most recent 2-8 run.

Yeah, I can see that.

Thing is, they were only a few plays from it going either way in a lot of those games, as bad as they played. Very easily could have been 4-2 thru it, or even better.

I don't think it'll take a lot to turn around the defense but what they need, isn't easy to find. An OLB that isn't shit, another DL or 2 and a corner.

A lot of it is going to have to be guys already here improving and or continue to play well.

You have to consider that the 2018 team will essentially be adding Eric Berry to what we have seen this year... that's a major difference maker for a defense. They should be better for that alone.

Had the Chiefs not lost Berry, Ware and Conley for the season and had Mitch Morse been able to stay healthy, this team would most likely be at least 9-3 at this point if not 11-1.

But the fact of the matter is that Houston and Berry will be 29 years old to start next season and no one know how Berry, Conley and Ware are able to perform.

Veach will need to hit on at least 3 players in the draft, meaning Week 1 impact players, and guys like Chesson, Robinson, Ragland, Eligwe, Jones and Kpassognon will need to ascend.

That's a lot to ask, especially with what will essentially be a rookie starting QB.

The defense wouldn't be as shitty if they had another OLB that didn't suck rushing the passer like Zombo and the DL played with intensity all the time.

Exhibit A: Last Sunday.

I think with better offensive production in a few games or better defensive intensity/play, they'd have 2 losses with what they've got now.

Those guys hurt losing though for sure. If Mahomes opens up the offense a little more than Smith does, which isn't likely early Smith has been good this year, it'll go along way.

I'm interested to see how the rest of the year plays out. They seemed to have a defeatist mentality after the Steeler loss that took a while to get over. Hopefully thats done.

Tanoh played pretty well for a guy who is just getting his feet wet. He's had a few pressures so far.

It's perplexing why they won't increase his snap count and get him rushing the passer.

It's crazy that the guy only needs to take 2 steps and he's in the QB's face because his arms are so damn long.

It's basically what they've always done with rookies. They don't play them a lot early.

2018 Salary Cap
 

Rush the passer, sure, but unless you’re planning on paying him $20m per year to only play 3rd downs he’ll have other responsibilities. Can he rush the passer at 3-4 DE and also take on double teams in the run game? Does he have the lateral mobility to drop into coverage at 3-4 OLB when we decide not to send him after the QB? Can he rush from the interior as opposed to the edge?

Yeah but think about how much we're in the nickle or dime packages.

At this point, I think the Chiefs need to consider keeping almost everyone outside of DJ/Tamba/Alex.

If Dee Ford's back isn't ****ed, I don't mind keeping him for 1 more year. Like Allen Bailey, these guys have proven that they can rush the passer.

I'd like to focus on adding young guys to the front 7 in this upcoming draft so that we have a ton of guys who are talented enough to make plays and build depth.

Yup. Same thing they did with Nelson and Conley for example.

Cutting the big 3 frees up the money they need (plus maybe Revis and or Colquitt) so they may need to keep the other guys and hope shit works out.

I dunno.

The ever increasing cap makes the contracts given to Berry and Houston are suddenly more more palatable. Frankly we are in great shape so long as Mahomes is the real deal and ready to take the helm.

I think its foolish to propose cutting this guy and that guy just to get a large available cap number. You keep guys like Parker IMO, because you can deal with his cap number. The same with Zombo, I think he's more valuabe as a backup than the 1.1 million in space he creates.

If you can trade a guy like Bailey great, but he's in the last year of his deal so again, the additional cap space is only good if its really needed. Its not like we are a team that is going to be overly active on high dollar free agents.

The easy moves are these three.

Trade Smith - $17 million
Cut DJ - $8 million
Cut Hali - $8 million

Then is becomes a question of which FA is out there that we absolutley must have?

The cap space we need to to retain players, not go buy them on the open market.

ROFL