The financial impact of signing Stefen Wisniewski, Terrell McClain

The two newest Chiefs are both expected to make immediate contributions to their position group. Here’s a summary of their contracts, and a closer look at the current salary cap situation.

In the wake of the Week 5 loss to the Colts, the Kansas City Chiefs were left with a long list of injuries to process. Several players were knocked out of the Sunday night game, including wide receiver Sammy Watkins, linebacker Anthony Hitchens, left guard Andrew Wylie, and defensive tackles Chris Jones and Xavier Williams.

The defense was dealt another blow in Week 6 when they lost Kendall Fuller to a thumb injury. The cornerback was diagnosed on Monday with a slight fracture to his thumb, but will be getting a second opinion. With a handful of starters who were already inactive with their own battle scars, the Chiefs were left with some roster decisions to make.

In his efforts to stand in for Wylie, reserve offensive lineman Ryan Hunter played poorly enough to earn his release. Head coach Andy Reid likes Hunter’s versatility, and the young Canadian found himself on the Chiefs’ practice squad after clearing waivers.

Later in the week, the organization announced that Williams was placed on Injured Reserve with a high ankle sprain that will keep him out for at least four to six weeks. This doesn’t necessarily end Williams’ season, but the defensive tackle will be ineligible to return until at least December.

With two open roster spots, the Chiefs inked defensive tackle Terrell McClain and offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski to new deals. The two newest Chiefs are both expected to make immediate contributions to their position group. Now the finances for each deal are finally out, so let’s take a closer look:

Terrell McClain

The Chiefs brought in McClain given the injuries inside and he immediately suited up for 26 snaps against the Houston Texans despite joining the team just days prior.

The Chiefs signed McClain to a one-year deal worth $930,000. It’s the NFL’s guaranteed veteran minimum for a player who has seven to nine years of accrued experience in the league. However, to help encourage teams to sign veterans, the NFL also allows for a special salary cap hit of only $645,000 if a team signs a veteran to a one-year deal at the minimum. Given that McClain signed midseason, the impact there is even prorated which puts his cap hit at just over $450K.

Per Over the Cap, McClain’s career earnings come out to $17.2 million.

Stefen Wisniewski

The same can be said of Wisniewski, who also signed a one-year deal at the veteran minimum. Given that this is the ninth NFL season for both players, their total amounts and salary cap hits will be equal. If either player had a single year of experience more, the veteran minimum would have been just over $1 million.

Given the presence of backups already on the active roster (not just on the practice squad) like Nick Allegretti, Martinas Rankin, Cam Erving, and Greg Senat, it’s surprising that the Chiefs had to reach out and sign Wisniewski. That said, the small salary cap help for veterans keeps the vast majority of the team’s salary cap space safe for good use elsewhere while allowing Brett Veach to bring in Wisniewski for less cap impact than what he’s giving Allegretti, this year’s seventh round pick.

In his NFL career, Wisniewski has earned just over $13.6 million.

An updated glance at the Chiefs’ salary cap shows the team sitting on just over $22 million in cap space on the season. There’s plenty of room for the team to sign an available free agent or make a trade before the October 29 deadline.