No move was the right move for the Kansas City Chiefs at the deadline

The Kansas City Chiefs did not make any trades this season, despite the wishes of many. Here’s why that’s a good thing.

If you bought into the narrative that insiders and analyst have been weaving over the last few weeks, Monday and Tuesday were supposed to be busy days for the Kansas City Chiefs.

General manager Brett Veach was supposed to trade for Janoris Jenkins, Josh Norman, Patrick Peterson, Leonard Williams, Lavonte David, and Jamal Adams. Even Le’Veon Bell was supposedly a target on the final day.

Analyst assumed K.C. would be buyers this season, pointing to shortcomings on the defensive side and injuries along the line as obvious needs that could be filled through a trade. The Chiefs had been active in trade talks earlier in the season as well, associated with names like Jalen Ramsey (who is now a Los Angeles Ram) and Minkah Fitzpatrick (who is now a Pittsburgh Steeler). As the deadline approached, it made sense that the Chiefs would be closely associated with more players on the move.

The Kingdom sat patiently through a quiet Monday, slightly disappointed by the lack of moves, but patiently optimistic about Tuesday. Certainly, Brett Veach was working in the background, making moves happen that would solidify the Chiefs’ Super Bowl odds.

Then Tuesday came and 4:00 p.m. E.T. passed, and despite reports and “insiders” claiming that the Chiefs were working on something, despite the hopes of many a Chiefs’ fan, despite the wishes of many players looking to be traded, the Kansas City Chiefs stayed quiet on Tuesday.

But why stay quiet? What does Brett Veach see that the analyst and experts are not seeing? Who exactly is Brett Veach betting on? Was it the right move?

On the surface, not making a trade does seem like a failure, a choice that could keep K.C. from achieving their goal of making it to the Super Bowl. Upon further investigation, however, it becomes clear that Brett Veach made the best decision possible for the Kansas City Chiefs.

By not making a trade, Veach was able to not only preserve cap space and draft capital, but secure the Chiefs’ future and give the Kingdom a clear picture of who the Kansas City Chiefs want to be moving forward—all without becoming a seller and staying competitive.

The Kansas City Chiefs are not in a terrible spot in the standings, considering all the misfortune. Despite the injuries to many star players across the offense and vital components across the defense, the Chiefs still have a solid lead on the AFC West, and are only a half game away from the No. 2 seed in the AFC (Indianapolis Colts) for a first round bye in the playoffs.

Earlier in the season, when Fitzpatrick and Ramsey were available for trade, a deal made sense given their youth and overall impact (along with Fitzpatrick’s contract). But not one player still available by Tuesday was remotely close to those two elite corners, in either skill or age. With no options available that fit the identity and needs that the Chiefs have moving forward, Veach instead chose to prioritize the team’s long-term flexibility for success.

Not only did Veach save draft picks but he also conserved the team’s considerable cap space. The Chiefs have about $22 million dollars left for the 2019 season and contracts that need to be paid.

Patrick Mahomes is likely to receive a $200 million dollar contract early in the offseason, so the Chiefs are going to need quite a bit of cap space to roll over to pay the man. This further secures both the Chiefs’ future and identity and keeps them as a Super Bowl contender for years to come.

Defensive lineman Chris Jones also needs a contract as he’s scheduled to become a free agent soon. The value of said contract varies from analyst to analyst, so the amount of cap needed is not clear, but the Chiefs need Jones to keep playing. His pass rush helps set up the rest of the defense, and he has the ceiling to shift a game’s momentum on a single play. His skill set and age matches the Chiefs identity perfectly, thus making him more important than any free agent acquisition they could make this offseason.

Instead of losing more picks for a team that’s already surrendered plenty in recent years, Veach made the best decision by deciding to not make a move. The team can now focus on the long-term via the draft and secure their own with this cap space. It wasn’t the exciting play, but it was the right one.