Kansas City Chiefs: Salary-Cap Implications Of Donnie Avery’s And A.J. Jenkins’ Releases
By Brett Gering
Apparently, John Dorsey has a case-of-the-Mondays hangover.
In a press release, the Kansas City Chiefs officially announced that, in addition to Donnie Avery’s departure, the team has also severed ties with wide receiver A.J. Jenkins.
The #Chiefs have released WR Donnie Avery & have waived WR A.J. Jenkins.
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) February 17, 2015
READ: http://t.co/N8PwpXDL7R
Prior to the recent round of news, Over the Cap (OTC), with a projected $142 million-plus ceiling, estimated that the Chiefs were nearly $1.6 million (wait for it…) over the cap.
However, Avery’s release creates $3.4 million in cap room, while Jenkins’ adds another $1.3 million and change, totaling over $4.7 million overall.
Based on OTC’s projections, the two moves will afford the club some semblance of breathing room, taking Kansas City from $1.6 million over the ceiling to $2.1 million-plus under it.
However, in the grand scheme of things, the Chiefs aren’t exactly out of the woods. CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, who also used a $142 million ceiling, projected a $13.08 million franchise tag for linebackers—or in the Chiefs’ case, Justin Houston. If that were to hold true, Dorsey—via cuts, restructures and/or renegotiations—would still need to generate roughly $11 million more in cap space
In terms of potential releases, the club isn’t starving for candidates. For example, axing Mike DeVito and Chase Daniel from the roster would increase Kansas City’s spending money to just over $8.9 million. If Tamba Hali then agreed to reduce his cap number to, say, $7 million, Dorsey would have just under $13.9 million to spend.
Although that would be enough to franchise Houston, a new deal for Rodney Hudson could, depending on how it’s structured, easily count upwards of $6 million against the cap next season.
Additionally, factor in other possible (re-)signings and this spring’s draft picks, and there will be no shortage of Chiefs news from now until March 10—the first day of free agency.
Contract information provided by Over the Cap.
Next: Chiefs: Film Breakdown Of 5 1st-round Wide Receivers