KC Chiefs prove Laurent Duvernay-Tardif deal was only about cap space

The Kansas City Chiefs knew they weren’t getting much in return when they dealt veteran offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to the New York Jets shortly before the NFL’s trade deadline. Duvernay-Tardif hadn’t played an official snap in well over a year at the time of his trade, and the Chiefs ended up settling for tight end Daniel Brown as the lone compensation on paper.

This weekend, the Chiefs decided to release Brown outright.

Brown was part of a shift of roster moves that brought running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire back onto the roster, making his stint with the team officially less than a single month of the regular season. It might look bad in some ways, that the Chiefs couldn’t generate a single asset for Duvernay-Tardif with the deal—draft pick or player—but that was never the point.

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif trade was always about the cap space for the Chiefs.

With the deal to trade LDT to the Jets, the Chiefs gained $1 million in salary-cap space. Duvernay-Tardif was one of the single most expensive players on the team—a top 10 cost in terms of cap hit—so even gaining a cool mill back was helpful for a team that already had very little cap space within which to maneuver for the rest of the 2021 season.

Remember the Chiefs have been able to add veterans like Terrell Suggs down the stretch in recent seasons, and it’s hard to know when injuries will arise as well.

As for Duvernay-Tardif, Chiefs Kingdom certainly wishes him well, especially as he suits up to make his first start of the season for the Jets against the Miami Dolphins in Week 11.