Five contract year Chiefs players with most to lose

Rashad Fenton

Ask the general NFL fan, and they likely will not know who cornerback Rashad Fenton is. For now, that is.

Fenton was the 201st overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, an unenviably low position in the pecking order. He has not only survived in Kansas City but thrived. He took a big step forward in 2021, despite not recording an interception. He was third on the team with seven passes defended and led the team with no touchdowns allowed in coverage. After the Chiefs lost cornerback Charvarius Ward in free agency, Fenton is arguably the most important cornerback on the 2022 roster.

He serves as a bridge from L’Jarius Sneed, Kansas City’s current CB1, to Trent McDuffie, the prospective future CB1. While Fenton doesn’t receive the headlines and praise that those two do, he was one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks in 2021. Fenton received an 82 grade from PFF, good for the eighth-highest in the NFL. There is no denying Fenton’s importance to the 2022 Chiefs defensive unit.

Fenton may seek his second Super Bowl ring with the Chiefs, but a big pay raise awaits him in 2023. His performance will decide how large that pay raise is, though. Fenton could very well price himself out of Kansas City, as Ward did.