Looking at KC Chiefs' contract extension candidates and what they might get

For all of the attention on free agency and which players might receive deals on the open market, it's important to also keep in mind that a new range of players can also get paid this offseason with the arrival of a new round of contract seasons. That means the Kansas City Chiefs might be offering up more contracts than expected this spring.

The signing of a contract year player to an extension can be a smart move not only to establish long-term security at an important position but also to free up money in the interim. Most long-term deals are backlogged on purpose, to take advantage of a rising salary cap while freeing up cap space in the present time for other short-term work.

Let's look at the Chiefs players who make the most sense for some contractual talks this spring. Who might general manager Brett Veach want to keep around? Let's start with a steady leg.

Harrison Butker

If 2023 was a "normal" year for Harrison Butker, just wait and see what he's got for the Chiefs in a contract season in 2024.

During a season in which the Chiefs offense struggled from front to back to put points on the board, it was the perfect season for Harrison Butker to turn in the performance of a lifetime with an unbelievable season marked by incredible accuracy and booming leg strength. In fact, it's insane that he didn't run away with a first-team All-Pro nod given his productivity this year for the Chiefs.

This year, Butker converted a career-high mark of 94% of his field goal attempts and even made a 60-yard attempt against the Denver Broncos in October. His only misses were from 30 or so yards out, while every single attempt from 40 or more was perfect. Not only this but Butker made every single extra point attempt as well.

Not only is Butker automatic as a scoring machine, but a whopping 87 percent of his kickoffs went for touchbacks in 2023. Simply put, Butker is a well-rounded weapon who never leaves points on the board.

In terms of an extension, Butker has been here before back in 2019 in his third season with the team and even then, he was a model of consistency for Dave Toub's units. Back then he earned just over $4 million per season on a five-year deal.

What could Butker receive?

In 2022, the Atlanta Falcons gave Younghoe Koo a five-year deal worth $24 million and Graham Gano got a three-year deal one year later from the New York Giants worth just over $5M per season. It makes sense for Butker to get the best of both, so we're guessing a five-year contract extension worth up to $27M with $20M guaranteed would get it done.