The Kansas City Chiefs have created some necessary salary cap space by restructuring Laurent Duvernay-Tardif’s contract.
On the eve of the NFL’s annual first-year player draft, the Kansas City Chiefs have found a way to create a bit more salary cap space with the leaked news, via Yahoo! Sports reporter Terez Paylor, that guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has agreed to restructure his contract.
Terms of the exact restructuring were not yet made available as of press time, but it’s welcome news in general for a team that needed some breathing room.
The Chiefs will need a few million just to handle the rookies incoming from the draft, let alone any other personnel moves, and as of the day before the draft, Over the Cap had the Chiefs at just over $117K in room below the cap.
Confirmation from #Chiefs G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif via his agent that, not unexpectedly, he has agreed to restructure his contract “for the 2020 season ... This allows the team to create cap space and I am very excited to be able to defend our title for the upcoming season...
— John Kryk (@JohnKryk) April 23, 2020
The Chiefs are still not out of the woods by any means financially with two considerable moves yet in front of them. The Chiefs have made no secret of wanting to sign long-term extensions with both defensive tackle Chris Jones and quarterback Patrick Mahomes this offseason. Jones will command in excess of $20 million annually to match last year’s deal (or thereabouts) for Frank Clark. Meanwhile, Mahomes will, of course, become the highest-paid player in the game.
The Chiefs are likely still going to make other moves to free up space, but for now, they’ve apparently given themselves some room to move at least in the immediate future. Perhaps the Chiefs are preparing for one of those deals or maybe general manager Brett Veach simply wants flexibility heading into a time in which players and picks will be traded left and right.
As for Duvernay-Tardif, a restructured deal seems to ensure his place on the roster going forward as the team’s starting right guard. The Canadian has been a solid performer along the line but the amount of his cap hit made him a popular candidate in any potential trade or release discussions in order to free up room. Duvernay-Tardif was slated to take up just under $9 million in cap room and has three years left on his extension.