How much salary cap space do KC Chiefs have this offseason?

Let’s look at the financial situation for the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason as free agency is set to begin for the 2023 campaign.

Coming into the start of a new league year, the Kansas City Chiefs were looking pretty thin in official cap space, but it was quite clear they were going to be able to clear the requisite room needed on the books to be able to do what general manager Brett Veach needs to do.

So far, the Chiefs have officially released veteran defensive end Frank Clark from their books, which made him a free agent immediately. That move also cut $21 million from the team’s cap commitments even if it left them with nearly $6.5 million in dead cap space.

The Chiefs also announced they would not be using the franchise tag on left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. as they did last year. The move creates significant uncertainty at a key position, but it also keeps the Chiefs from having to set aside approximately $20 million that would be unusable for them in free agency.

Further cuts or trades could be coming to allow for more cap space, such as running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. There are also several players who could restructure their contracts to give Veach and the Chiefs’ front office more space to work with as well.

For now, however, the Chiefs have a total of $16.955 million (per Over the Cap) to work with as free agency begins next week. The new league year starts on March 15.