Starting safety Ron Parker has been officially released by the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, confirming earlier rumors that it would happen.
Earlier this offseason, rumors circulated that the Kansas City Chiefs were going to release Ron Parker before the new league year. It’s a move that helps the team’s salary cap space and it also furthers the reinvention of the team’s secondary. On Monday, they made the move official.
What’s interesting about the move is that, per Jordan Ranaan, Parker was offered a pay cut to remain with the team. What that tells is that they weren’t completely down on Parker’s play in 2017, that at the right price, they would like to have him back. It would be interesting to know exactly how cheap the Chiefs wanted Parker to go, but Parker and his representation clearly believe he will be just fine.
Parker finally found a long-term home in Kansas City after spending the first couple years of his professional football career bouncing between teams. He landed with the Seattle Seahawks on three separate stints from 2011 to 2012 while also spending bits of time with the Oakland Raiders and the Carolina Panthers.
Parker said goodbye to his teammates and fans on Twitter:
I Would like to thank the Hunt Family and the @kcchiefs for my time in Kansas City. It was great playing in front of the fans in Arrowhead and with some of the best teammates in the @NFL. Now it's time for me to move on. I look forward to this new journey and chapter #Ghost38 pic.twitter.com/D6AE3wFwWU
— Ron Parker (@ghost_0836) March 12, 2018
When the Seahawks released him shortly before the 2013 NFL season was set to begin, John Dorsey grabbed Parker off of waivers and quickly put him to use in the team’s secondary. It would be a move that paid dividends for the next half-decade as Parker established himself as a versatile contributor who could play inside as nickel corner or slotted next to Eric Berry at safety.
Since joining the Chiefs in 2013, Parker hasn’t missed a single game, playing in 80 regular season contests during that time. He has 318 total tackles in his Chiefs career, including 7 sacks. He also has 9 interceptions and 43 passes defended over the last five years.