Salary Cap Digest: Breaking Down Kansas City Chiefs Biggest Cap Hits

December 15, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Tamba Hali (91) celebrates after recovering the ball against the Oakland Raiders during the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

TAMBA HALI

2014 Cap Hit: $11,464,706
Potential Savings If Cut/Traded: $5,535,294
Remaining Contract: Two years, $18,929,412 w/ two $2 million roster bonuses in 2014 and 2015

Trying to figure out what to do with Hali is probably the most complicated situation the Chiefs may have to deal with this offseason. On one hand, Hali is coming off one of his better seasons and is the team’s second best pass rusher. On the other hand, he is 30-years-old, starting to show some wear and tear from going all-out on every play, and doesn’t contribute very much on the field outside of his (very good) pass rush.

In terms of his cap number, Hali will actually be cheaper in 2014 than he was in 2013 by $4 million. His contract is set up in such a way that cutting Hali after the 2014 season will be much easier than cutting him now. KC will save $9 million against the cap should they way to cut him next winter.

This doesn’t change the fact Hali’s nearly $11.5 million cap is too high for what he provides on the field. This isn’t to say he is terrible, but he isn’t elite. For example, Hali has a -20.5 grade against the run from PFF since 2008. While he hasn’t been in the league as long, his sidekick Justin Houston has a +18.8 PFF grade against the run in his three-year career.  Houston brings the ability to rush the passer and stop the run while Hali is more one dimensional.  It would make more sense to pay Houston elite money than it would to pay Hali elite money.

Again, this doesn’t mean Hali is horrible. In the last three seasons Hali has a +45.2 pass rushing grade from PFF (Houston is +36.1). Only Robert Mathis played more snaps and had a better pass rushing grade in 2013 than Hali. There is a great value in keeping Hali on the roster. The question is how – if they even can – lower Hali’s cap hit to something a bit more reasonable?

The answer could be in Hali’s roster bonus for this season. Hali is owed a $2 million bonus for making the roster each of the next two seasons. Kansas City approach Hali with the idea of converting his 2014 roster bonus into guaranteed money for the 2015 seasons. This would save the Chiefs $2 million in cap space while still leaving a lot of flexibility for 2015. Essentially, it would be kicking the can down the road for one more year before making a more permanent decision on Hali.

If the Chiefs move his $2 million bonus to 2015, Kansas City could still cut Hali loose next offseason and save $7 million against the cap. That money will be needed because Houston’s contract runs out at the end of 2014, so they are going to need the room to re-sign him.

If Hali proves he still has some gas left in the tank after 2014, the Chiefs could sign him to an extension that restructures in 2015 season to open up cap space while guaranteeing him a little more money in 2016 and 2017. T

How likely is this scenario to happen? Probably not very, but it is reasonably feasible. It all depends on how much room the Chiefs need to open up and what they can agree to with players like Eric Berry and Alex Smith (we’ll talk about him soon).