KC Chiefs, Darrel Williams fail to reach agreement before free agency

According to NFL reporter Mike Garafolo, the Kansas City Chiefs have failed to reach an agreement with running back Darrel Williams that would have kept him from hitting free agency. Despite interest on both sides to make something happen, the talks fell short and Williams will hit the open market for the first time in his career this week.

While no specific numbers were released with the report, it makes sense that the Chiefs tried a last-minute effort to woo Williams back for another year but came up short on the financial terms—at least a number that would keep Williams from wanting to see what others might offer him.

Williams is taking a risk of his own by spurning the Chiefs’ advances before free agency because the very team that believed in him to this point might move on to someone else once the market opens. However, Williams also knows he enjoyed a breakthrough season at the right time by eclipsing 1,000 yards from scrimmage for the Chiefs as a well-rounded backup for Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

The Chiefs and Darrel Williams were unable to reach a deal before free agency.

In terms of our own free agent projections, Williams seemed like a solid bet to re-sign and that’s still entirely possibly here. The market will likely end up making Williams a bit more expensive, but no one is going to pay through the nose for a 26-year-old part-time running back, so it’s not as if the Chiefs are letting someone like Charvarius Ward hit free agency here (although that’s true, too).

Williams just finished his fourth season with the Chiefs, a journey that began with him signing as a rookie free agent back in 2018 out of LSU. In his second season, he beat out Carlos Hyde for a backup role and he’s been climbing the depth chart ever since to become an important offensive cog for the Chiefs in 2021 as Edwards-Helaire dealt with an injury. He had 144 carries for 558 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2021 for K.C.

It was in 2021 that Williams also blossomed as a pass catcher and put up 47 catches for 452 receiving yards along with two more scores. That skill set would be a strong asset in the backfield for most teams which is why the Chiefs were likely trying to make something work ahead of the free agency tampering period that begins on Monday.