Dontari Poe: Next item of business

Justin Houston’s gamble on himself paid off big, but Poe faces an entirely different situation. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Will Dontari Poe gamble on himself?

The Chiefs currently have the ability to keep Poe on the roster for the next four years, and all at a price tag that should be well under that of what Suh is being paid.  The cap hits for the next two years are set at $3.6 million for 2015 and $6.15 million for 2016.  After that, the Chiefs have the ability to place the franchise tag on him for two years.  This year’s franchise tag amount for defensive tackles was set at $11.17 million, well below that top dollar value set by Suh.  So in that sense, it makes plenty of sense to continue to keep Poe on the one year deals.

This is how his situation is different from that of Justin Houston’s.  Poe’s position doesn’t carry the same financial burdens in the franchise tag, plus he is still two years away from being able to utilize that leverage at all.  Given these factors, it is a very big risk for Poe and his agent to risk putting off contract negotiations.  Poe carries a very heavy frame, so he is naturally more susceptible to injury.  And that is the kind of thing that could kill his contract value, especially in these one year scenarios.

Will the Chiefs make a fair offer?

The natural inclination of many general managers in this situation is to use their leverage and force a player to take a contract well under their market value.  It was pretty much what the Chiefs did with Justin Houston.  That worked out well for Houston, but as I have already shown, that was a different situation.  With Poe, the Chiefs are in a much stronger position to get him to take the lesser deal.

However, this may be a situation where the Chiefs should show a little leeway.  Offering Poe a decent contract may be a way to get him locked up quickly and with an affordable deal.  I would suggest something that makes Poe the highest paid 3-4 nose tackle in the league, but doesn’t encroach upon the current franchise tag amount.  Yes, that is a large amount of leeway to work with, but if the Chiefs offer to make him the highest paid 3-4 nose tackle out the gate, they are much more likely to get a deal done that is well south of the top five defensive tackle amounts.

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