Pre-Free Agency Moves for the Chiefs
Proposed Roster Cuts
WR Skyy Moore (WR, Saves $1.584M)
The Chiefs face a challenging salary cap situation with few obvious candidates for release. Other than Skyy Moore and potentially Joe Thuney, the cap savings from releasing most players wouldn't justify losing them. Travis Kelce's situation, however, is more complex.
Simple Contract Restructures
Note: A simple restructure converts payments into prorated signing bonuses within the confines of the remainder of the contract. Teams typically have the ability to unilaterally execute simple restructures without any action necessary from the player.
LB Drue Tranquill ($5M, Saves $2.5M)
RT Jawaan Taylor ($5.2M, Saves $2.6M)
C Creed Humphrey ($5.5M, Saves $4.125M)
DT Chris Jones ($16M, Saves $12M)
QB Patrick Mahomes ($19M, Saves $15.2M)
A contract restructure differs significantly from a pay cut. In most cases, restructuring simply redistributes cap dollars across different years; it's essentially the team borrowing cap space from its future self. When a team restructures a contract, they reduce their current season's cap hit, but those "saved" dollars are added to future years' caps. Think of it like paying off one credit card with another: the debt hasn't disappeared, it's just been moved around.
Contract Extensions
LG Joe Thuney: (3 years, $60M total, $20M guaranteed in new money, Saves $7M in cap space)
While Joe Thuney struggled in Super Bowl LIX, his overall performance warrants patience. He excelled in his natural left guard position before being moved to left tackle for the final third of the season. Though his upcoming $26.9M cap hit is substantial, releasing him would save $16M but significantly weaken an already shaky offensive line. A contract extension presents a better solution, offering immediate cap relief while retaining his valuable services.
Traditional Restructure
TE Travis Kelce: Convert the $12.75M in roster bonus and workout money into a signing bonus, plus adding 1 void year, Saving $6.4M in cap space.
This proposed move will likely be the most controversial of this mock offseason. Kelce, who turned 36 last October, has seen his performance shift from superstar level in recent years to fairly normal, an expected evolution given his age. His scheduled $19.8M cap hit for 2025 ranks second among tight ends behind only George Kittle, a figure that might be a little too much.
Cutting Kelce would save $17.25M, but that feels inappropriate given what he's done for the franchise and how he was historically underpaid throughout his career. What might make more sense is spreading out $12.75M in bonus money over two seasons. This would be done by adding a void year, which is not a method traditionally utilized by Brett Veach. If Kelce retires after next season, this move would create a $6.4M dead cap charge in 2026, but given what Kelce has done for this organization, that seems like a manageable price to pay.
While retirement remains a possibility that could render this discussion moot, we should operate under the assumption that he'll continue playing since he remains under contract. If he does retire, the Chiefs would save $17.25M in cap space.
Remaining 2025 Cap Space: $51.5M