Quarterbacks
Ok, sit down for this one, I think Patrick Mahomes is a safe bet to not only make the roster but be the starting quarterback this season. Hot take right? Ok, while the starter is locked in the contract situation could influence the other quarterbacks on the roster. Let’s look at the numbers (that we have).
The candidates:
Patrick Mahomes
Age: 22
Last year under contract: 2021 (with option)
Post June 1? $4.6 million cap HIT if cut
Chad Henne
Age: 32
Last year under contract: 2019
Post June 1? $1 million cap HIT if cut
Matt McGloin
Age: 28
Last year under contract: 2018
Post June 1? Unknown*
Chase Litton
Age: 22
Last year under contract: 2010
Post June 1? Contract not currently factoring into salary cap
As we mentioned, we all obviously know that Patrick Mahomes spot is set. What we can also safely assume from these numbers is that Chad Henne is pretty much a lock to make this team. They gave him a two year deal with enough guaranteed money that they would actually lose cap space if they cut him. They are clearly counting on him being the experienced veteran to help out Mahomes both in meeting rooms and on the sideline. It’s the third quarterback spot that is interesting.
*As of writing this, we don’t have Matt McGloin’s exact contract numbers. Chiefs Digest‘s Matt Derrick (a must follow on Twitter) is the only one with any info on McGloin’s deal. According to Derrick, it’s a one year deal with a base salary of 790K.
We know that undrafted free agent Chase Litton is signed very cheap on a three year deal. So it would seem that Litton has a real chance to earn that third spot on the roster if he can have a good camp and preseason.
A special thank you to Matt Derrick (@mattderrick) for coming through with the info on Matt McGloin’s contract when nobody else (including overthecap and spotrac who are usually all over these things) had anything.
Next let’s look at the running backs.