KC Chiefs: What does Austin Blythe’s contract tell us about expectations?

Earlier this offseason, the K.C. Chiefs decided they would go ahead and sign a 29-year-old center named Austin who was chosen in the 7th round of the NFL by another team, a scrappy sort of player who has proven in the years since he was drafted that he was worthy of more playing time after failing to work out with his original team. Yet if you thought that player was Austin Reiter, think again.

The Chiefs made a move at center after watching Reiter man the position, for the most part, for the last two seasons. Instead, they signed Austin Blythe in free agency in a move that gave the Chiefs a starting option in the center as they continued to remake the front line.

At the time, many fans in Chiefs Kingdom were hoping to see the same sort of dramatic change at the position that was clearly coming on the left side. The Chiefs had already signed guard Joe Thuney to a five-year deal worth up to $80 million and chased Trent Williams with the sort of money that would make anyone but Patrick Mahomes blush. Corey Linsley was the top center on the open market, and fans were hoping to see the team take a swing. Instead, they took an alternate approach.

Austin Blythe’s contract tells us anything is possible for him in Chiefs preseason.

Blythe was the Chiefs’ answer in free agency to the opening at center when it was clear that Reiter was not going to be brought back into the fold after three years in K.C. Yet the contract was telling: a one-year deal worth just under $1 million at $990K. Immediately the terms made it clear: the Chiefs were not done.

It was possible at this point for the Chiefs to stop shopping—if they wanted. Blythe, after all, was a starting center in the National Football League for the Los Angeles Rams for all 16 games of the 2020 campaign. Given the wealth poured into other positions, it made sense to pursue a cheaper option at center to help balance the roster.

But here’s what we should have known all along, for those of us who were fooled for those few weeks between free agency and the draft: Blythe’s contract told us what would really happen.

Blythe’s one year deal comes in just less than what the Chiefs are paying safety Armani Watts or long snapper James Winchester and slightly more than wide receiver Antonio Callaway. Think about the expectations of playing time for those players and you get a sense that the Chiefs weren’t planning on seeing Blythe too often on the field.

It is true that the positional value and market at center allowed the Chiefs to pick up a potential  starting option for under a cool million on the open market, but given the troubles from last year’s line, general manager Brett Veach wasn’t going to sign Blythe and be done with it.

It was only a few weeks after signing Blythe that the Chiefs to sink one of their top draft assets into the position with the selection of Creed Humphrey out of Oklahoma. Just like that, the Chiefs had themselves another high-ceiling investment along the line, one that would likely remind Chiefs Kingdom of the days of Mitch Morse or Rodney Hudson—other second round investments themselves.

It’s still very possible that Blythe is a starting center for the Chiefs at some point this season, perhaps early on as Humphrey makes the necessary adjustments to the pro level. However, Humphrey comes from a pro style offense with plenty of starts to his name against some top-shelf competitors.

The good news for both Blythe and the Chiefs–and this is often lost on many—is that Blythe wasn’t a center until last season. He also comes with multiple years of experience as a starting right guard. That’s a position with a ton of competitors right now—from Kyle Long and Andrew Wylie to Trey Smith and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif—but he does bring versatility and value elsewhere.

Blythe’s contract tells us that he’s up for a wide range of possibilities this August with the Chiefs. It’s very possible he could be a Week 1 starter under center after battling Humphrey in the preseason. It’s also possible that, given his contract, he could be cut or traded before cuts are due. With his contract terms, anything is possible.