The long-term upside of Lucas Niang’s decision to opt out
By Matt Conner
There is a sunny side to the news that the Chiefs lost Lucas Niang for 2020.
At first glance, the loss of Lucas Niang will come as a shock. Then comes the disappointment. When the Kansas City Chiefs rookie decided to opt out for the season on Thursday, the roster did indeed take a significant hit along the offensive line. There are concerns to address now. There are issues to fill.
But there’s also a significant upside to pushing back Niang’s official start with the team.
Niang was drafted by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He was an impressive young tackle entering the league with long-term potential to play on the outside—with the requisite athleticism, intelligence, instincts, size and strength to not only succeed at the next level but as an exemplary fit in Andy Reid‘s offense.
When the Chiefs drafted him, however, there were two immediate concerns.
- Niang played last season with a hip injury that required eventual surgery.
- Niang doesn’t exactly have a natural place to play in 2020.
Suddenly, both of those issues are no longer concerns. And this will actually benefit the team in the long-term even as it creates a short-term need.
Getting Healthy
Last October, Niang made the decision to end his college career early by undergoing surgery on his hip that had forced him to play through pain at Texas Christian. In November, he had a successful procedure to repair a torn labrum that had plagued him for years. He played every single game as a junior and never allowed a single sack. However it became too much as a senior. He needed relief.
Niang’s health was part of the reason why he dropped as far as he did to the Chiefs in the third round. There was even talk of a potential redshirt season back in the spring, but Niang was adamantly against it.
Now, however, health is no longer a concern. Niang now has several months to continue to rehabilitate any lingering effects of the surgery and to get back to game shape for the Chiefs. He can learn the mental side even as he rests on the physical side. Chiefs trainers can get to know him and develop him as a prospect knowing he will be ready to go by next year for sure.
Positional Fit
Despite being a tackle, the Chiefs planned on utilizing Niang inside at guard for this season (and potentially beyond), at least according to remarks made by general manager Brett Veach after the draft. Niang would have helped strengthen the interior that is currently in flux, but now that is no longer an option.
While that creates short-term questions, this sets the Chiefs up well for the long-term at a very important position. By not playing in 2020, Niang will receive $150K from the NFL as an advance on the money coming via his rookie contract, a four-year deal worth just over $4.5 million. In other words, Niang is now under team control on a cheap deal through 2024 instead of 2023.
Eric Fisher is 29-years-old and coming off of a season in which he suffered his first major injury, missing 8 games in the process. He’s a very dependable left tackle who will be 30, heading into a contract year, and worthy of extensive evaluation when Niang is healthy and ready to go.
Mitchell Schwartz is a perennial All-Pro at right tackle who deserves much greater recognition league-wide than he receives. However, it’s also true that he will be 32-years-old and also in a contract year when Niang is ready to begin his career with the Chiefs.
Instead of losing a year of Niang’s rookie deal in 2020 at a new position of guard, the Chiefs can find the answer elsewhere (downside) to retain four seasons of Niang at his drafted position (upside).
The Future
Basically, the Chiefs still have all four years of Niang locked in at a very low price at the same time as both starters will be in their thirties in the final year of their own respective contracts.
Niang’s first year will either be as a clear tackle waiting in the wings with three starting years ahead of him, assuming everything goes as planned, or he will force one of them out early which would give the Chiefs major help against the salary cap.
Either way, if Niang is able to be a healthy starter at tackle, the Chiefs are now able to employ an inexpensive starter at an expensive position for yet another season. That sort of financial flexibility is what will allow the Chiefs to remain as competitive as ever going forward into Patrick Mahomes prime years.