The Morning Fix: Chiefs News and Headlines 3/2/2014

Dec 8, 2013; Landover, MD, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz (74) prepares to block against the Washington Redskins during the second quarter at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Many people need their coffee to get up and going in the morning.  Here at Arrowhead Addict, we understand that for a Chiefs fan, coffee is simply not enough.

Here’s all that’s happening around Chiefs Kingdom today.

Welcome to The Morning Fix.

It’s the day after the franchise tag deadline in the NFL and as we talked about ad nauseum yesterday here and here the Chiefs refused to apply said tag to left tackle Branden Albert. In case you didn’t get enough from our coverage of the non-event, Terez Paylor at the Kansas City Star has a piece up about it as well.

"The Chiefs prevented Albert, 29, from hitting free-agency last year by using the franchise tag at a cost of $9.8 million. But doing so again would have cost the Chiefs even more this year (roughly $11.8 million), and general manager John Dorsey said at last week’s NFL scouting combine that the club probably wouldn’t tag any player this year.That said, while Dorsey also reiterated that the Chiefs have continued to talk with Albert’s representatives regarding an extension, they now stand to lose him when free-agency starts March 11."

Now that all this franchise tag stuff is behind us, Adam Teicher at ESPN takes a look at exactly what the Chiefs have to spend next week as the league calendar resets and free agency begins.

"The Chiefs have $122,249,251 in salary-cap commitments for their 51 highest paid players. Only the top 51 salaries count against the cap. The Chiefs have 68 players under contract.Combined with their salary-cap credit of $2,381,518, the Chiefs have $9,626,444 to spend. Twenty-four of the NFL’s other 31 teams have more salary-cap room than the Chiefs. The Oakland Raiders lead the NFL with more than $66 million of cap room."

Speaking of free agency, correspondent Bill Robbins at Bleacher Report has a great post up detailing the four Chiefs he believes need to be re-signed before anyone else.

"The physical guard played very well in the second half of the regular season last year for Kansas City.He was one of the main reasons for the squad’s improvement along its offensive line during that time as well. It seems that the only thing between the Chiefs and re-signing Schwartz is fellow teammate and potential free agent Jon Asamoah.The Chiefs will likely have to decide between Schwartz and Asamoah soon, and the smarter decision appears to be keeping Schwartz."

That’s it for today, Addicts. Enjoy your Tuesday and GO CHIEFS!