There are tons of things to love about the Chiefs trade of Alex Smith, but one stands above the rest. Brett Veach is showing something great.
Remember when the Chiefs were in a salary cap hell, understocked with draft picks and desperately in need of young playmakers on defense? Feels like it was just yesterday.
I’ve spent most of the last month trying to fix all of those problems for the Chiefs, one move at a time. Trade Smith, clear some space. Hopefully get a decent draft pick back. Make a run at Aqib Talib, though that’ll cost you a pick and some of that new salary cap space. Maybe try to find a number two cornerback in the third or fourth round of the draft? That’s hard to do, but probably the best option…
Well Brett Veach cleared that up for the rest of us pretty quickly.
In one blockbuster move, Veach brought in a 22-year-old cornerback with a miniscule cap number and rave reviews. The third-round pick became an afterthought when Chiefs analysts got their hands on Kendall Fuller’s tape.
This move says tremendous things about Brett Veach.
I’m thrilled by Veach’s moves as the GM of the Chiefs largely because (pardon the self-centered nature of this sentence) this is exactly how I’d do it.
The NFL is a value game. You, of course, need great talent and coaching, but without value, you’re eventually going to pay by cutting corners in other areas of your roster. Justin Houston ceased to be a value when he got his monstrous contract. Still a great player, but no longer the steal he was as a third-round pick. Value is the backbone of the NFL. If you have Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers, you may be able to afford some bad financial investments, but for just about everyone else, you need to spend wisely.
Based on the last few months of evidence, Brett Veach understands that.
Reggie Ragland is a tremendous value. He has two more years on his contract at around $1 million per year. Patrick Mahomes is going to be a great value. He doesn’t have to be a Pro Bowler for his 2018 cap hit of $3.7 million to make Derek Carr’s $25 million look comical.
Kendall Fuller is an absolute steal. He won’t cost more than $800,000 in either of his next two seasons, despite being arguably the best slot corner in football and a potential fix for the outside spot opposite Marcus Peters, at least in a base defense. (He would probably move into the slot when the Chiefs are in nickel. More on that in today’s show.)
Salary cap talk isn’t sexy, but it is absolutely necessary. Brett Veach knows that. And with this Alex Smith trade, the Chiefs drop millions in cap space out of their quarterback position and add an incredibly talented cornerback while taking on virtually no salary burden there.
We’ll spend the rest of the offseason talking about Patrick Mahomes, and I spent the large majority of my show today breaking down Kendall Fuller. But today, Brett Veach deserves the first praise.
Also on today’s show: Mahomes, of course. Can Kendall Fuller play outside? Will he? Would I still look into trading for Aqib Talib? Seth Keysor joins the show to discuss his Fuller breakdown and what “Netflix and chill” means.
me on january 29: "This is just gonna be a fun year of seeing Mahomes grow and looking ahead to 2019."
— Joshua Brisco (@jbbrisco) January 31, 2018
me on january 30: "YES SIR, 'SUPER BOWL 53 CHAMPIONS,' RIGHT HERE ON MY EYEBROW."
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