A Kansas City Chiefs fan’s guide to start of NFL free agency
If any Kansas City Chiefs fans have been taking a break from the NFL news cycle since the season ended, it’s officially time to get back into the swing of things. The NFL’s “legal tampering period” for free agents begins today at 11:00 am Arrowhead time. So by the time some of you are reading this the feeding frenzy may have already begun.
Will there be a tidal wave of Chiefs-related news or will you simply have to watch report after report go by of your favorite free agent targets going off the board? Your guess is as good as mine, but either way, you’re going to want to have a good idea of what the Chiefs need, who they could target, and who they could lose to other teams.
The legal tampering window is now here and the free agent news will be coming fast and furious. Here are the names Chiefs fans may want to watch out for.
While we’ve seen in recent years that the salary cap can be manipulated to make things work, the simple truth is no team (including our beloved Chiefs) can just sign every top free agent they would like. As I’m typing this up on Sunday afternoon the Chiefs are still OVER the cap for next season by about $6.25 million. I fully expect that to change soon. In fact, by the time most of you are reading this I would be surprised if the Chiefs hadn’t made multiple moves to get well under the cap so that they can actually go about filling their roster needs.
That having been said, the Chiefs’ needs are numerous. While they certainly could target a big name or two, I think what you’re more likely to see as this week goes on is Brett Veach making multiple mid-tier signings that aren’t flashy big names but give them solid contributors at multiple positions of need. It’s always hard to see other teams signing players to monster mega deals and getting all the buzz, but it’s always good to remember that rarely are those massive deals seen as good value in the long run.
So what should KC fans be expecting in the coming days? I’ve laid out a few thoughts and a few names to keep an eye on at each position group. Each position has at least a name or two to think about, but some warrant a lot more time than others. Let’s start by talking about KC’s backup quarterback spot.