Future of the Chiefs: Eric Berry or Dontari Poe

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Comparable Contracts:

Harrison Smith has set the market for the Eric Berry contract. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /

Harrison Smith – Vikings – 5 yrs at $51.25 million/$15.27 million guaranteed: Smith was signed to the biggest contract of all safeties in the NFL. That has made his deal the go-to comparison for fans and pundits. It makes sense that this would be the basis for the deal that Berry gets, barring a surprise “hometown discount”. On top of that, Smith has another $13 million in guarantees tied to health…which again makes it a comparable situation. No real reason to overthink this though.
Jairus Byrd – Saints – 6 yrs at $54 million/$18.3 million guaranteed: This deal is a couple years old now, making it less of an influence on the Berry deal. However, the $18.3M guaranteed could be a sticking point for the negotiations. In fact, it would be surprising if Berry’s agent wasn’t making that the key part of the whole contract since guaranteed money is really all that counts.
Earl Thomas – Seahawks – 4 yrs at $40 million/$14.22 million guaranteed: Coming out of college, Thomas and Eric Berry were constantly compared. That makes this contract noteworthy. However, there is little doubt that Berry will exceed this deal both in total money and guaranteed money.

Alternatives:

In House: Stevie Brown – Chiefs:

Yeah, plain and simple, there is no viable replacement for Eric Berry on the current roster. This may be where the retirement of Husain Abdullah hurts the team the most, as Dorsey no longer has any kind of a backup plan should Eric Berry not be re-signed, or if he were to go down to injury. Brown is an ok player, but he should not be a starter for any team. I’m hard pressed to say that he’s even a quality replacement for either Abdullah or Tyvon Branch in the more limited roles that they played for the Chiefs.

Kurt Coleman made a mark with the Chiefs in 2014 and with the Panthers in 2015. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

2017 Free Agent: Kurt Coleman – Panthers: This is absolutely an option for the Chiefs as Coleman has proven himself with the team before, and has succeeded after his departure. He won’t be cheap, but he’ll come at a significantly lower price tag than Berry. Coleman isn’t a true “in the box” safety, but the Chiefs have shown excellent adaptability with their secondary.

2017 Draft Pick: Jamal Adams – LSU: Adams probably won’t be available when the Chiefs pick in 2017. However, if you were looking for an ideal replacement to Berry…this would be it. Adams is versatile and athletic. He’s a terrific all around football player and has big play capabilities. And all those things are reasons why there is little chance the Chiefs will have a shot at him.

Next: Dontari Poe

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