How much will the Kansas City Chiefs draft class make?
By Matt Conner
Tremon Smith (No. 196 overall)
2018 cap hit: $505K
Total contract amount (through 2021): $2.5M (total)
[Ed note: We realize that’s not Tremon Smith’s head up top. We don’t have a picture of Tremon Smith. We feel sorry for Tremon Smith. We work with what we have and small-school prospects apparently aren’t high priority for Getty Images]
For now, the cost of the entire cornerback core is very cheap for the Kansas City Chiefs. Consider the following:
- David Amerson signed a one-year deal worth $2.25 million.
- Steven Nelson is on the last year of his rookie deal.
- Kendall Fuller still has two years remaining on his rookie contract.
The addition of Tremon Smith to that trio of cheap young players only adds another, well, cheap young player. But moving forward, Smith’s contract could be quite helpful.
Fuller is in line for an extension quite soon and will likely break the bank when he does. If he lives up to expectations in K.C. (and not even Marcus Peters-sized expectations), he’s going to be handsomely rewarded for being known as one of the best young slot corners in the business.
Even more important, the Chiefs are going to have pony up for more help next offseason. If they want to extend Nelson or keep Amerson in house, there’s no way either player is going to remain in K.C. for anything close to what they’re currently making. Amerson specifically is on a bounce-back deal in the hopes of being rewarded with serious security next spring.
If Smith can become the Chiefs latest sixth round success (see Zach Fulton, Rakeem Nunez Roches, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif) as a player who offers some starting contributions, that sixth round paycheck is going to give Brett Veach some nice flexibility to round out the secondary by spending elsewhere.