The Kansas City Chiefs have training camp in full swing now and fans are finally seeing highlights of players playing football again. While most of the attention is on camp performances and how the roster for this season will shape up, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach must continue to think about the long-term roster construction of the team. That is why he should strongly consider trying to get one or more of the players in the piece signed to a long-term deal before the season kicks off.
Every player mentioned in this piece is set to be a free agent at the end of the 2024 season. It's certainly possible that the Chiefs can re-sign them in free agency after the season, or could even use the franchise tag on one of them if needed. However, teams can typically get a better/cheaper deal done if they sign the player a year in advance.
The trade off for the player is that they may get less than they would on the open market next offseason, but they get their payday a year in advance and take away the risk of an injury this season costing them money. If the team can make it work under the cap this season it can prevent them from having to overspend next spring.
Before we get to my official top three, I want to throw out a couple of honorable mentions. The first of those is cornerback Nazeeh Johnson. This one comes with a couple of stipulations. The first is that he needs to show he's fully healthy. He missed all of last season with an injury and was already pulled from camp on Wednesday as a precaution with a foot issue. The second stipulation is that Johnson proves himself to be one of KC's top three cornerbacks in camp and the preseason.
Johnson is only set to make just $915,000 this season. If it looks like he may be a starting-caliber cornerback and KC could get him to sign a team friendly extension it could be in their best interest. A solid cornerback makes huge money on the open market, so a deal that pays Johnson more now and could save the team money in the next couple of years could benefit both parties.
The other honorable mention is Marquise "Hollywood" Brown. This would be an unheard of extension situation. Brown just signed a cheap $7 million, one-year "prove it" deal. Teams never turn around and give those players an extension. That said, if Brown is showing instant chemistry with Patrick Mahomes, and if the Chiefs think he seems like a good fit in the offense, Veach could potentially give him a raise already for the 2024 season in return for adding a couple more years onto his deal that would be less than he'll get on the open market if he has a great season this year. This is the ultimate long shot, but I wouldn't hate the move if K.C. did it.
Finally, at the risk of spoiling things, you won't find Nick Bolton's name on this list. I'm not a fan of giving off-ball linebackers huge deals in general. I also believe that compared to the other players in this piece, it might be in K.C.'s best interest to let Bolton see what other offers are out there after the season. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't know if anyone will break the bank for Bolton, so it's possible the Chiefs could play hardball and then sign him to a somewhat reasonable deal if no other team backs up the truck.
Now let's talk about the three players Brett Veach should prioritize signing before the season starts.
Creed Humphrey should be the Chiefs top priority
Brett Veach should already be hammering out Creed Humphrey's contract extension. He's arguably the best center in the NFL. He's only 25 years old and he's the literal center of the offensive line that protects the best quarterback in the NFL. This one is a no-brainer. Creed deserves a big payday and the Chiefs should prioritize giving it to him.
The good news for the Chiefs is that the center position hasn't hit the record-breaking contract numbers that the tackle and guard positions have. Frank Ragnow is currently the highest-paid center with an average of $13.5 million per year on his extension. He also has the biggest center contract guarantee with $42 million (of the $54 million total).
I'd be fine if KC went as high as a five-year $75 million extension with $55-60 million guaranteed. That would be $15 million APY with four of the five years guaranteed. At his age and at the rate the cap and contracts are going up, that would be a great deal for both sides.
Harrison Butker is worth paying to keep
When you are a perennial playoff team and Super Bowl contender you need a clutch kicker that can make the big kicks when the game is on the line. Harrison Butker has proved to be just that. I know some will say you don't pay kickers, but I think Butker is one of only a few in the league that is worth doing just that. I also understand that his beliefs are a problem for some, but I think if Brett Veach makes this decision based on football, it's the smart move to make.
Butker's current deal pays him about $4 million per season. The highest paid kickers in the league (Justin Tucker and Jake Elliott) average $6 million per season. I'd be just fine with the Chiefs signing Butker to an extension before the season starts that pays him right at or even above that. Butker will easily fetch that on the open market after the season if a playoff contender is looking for a kicker and giving him a $2 million raise shouldn't be that big of a deal.
If the Chiefs are going to re-sign Trey Smith, they better do it fast
This is probably the least likely of the three on this list because of the money involved. Guards are now starting to make big money and Trey Smith is on pace to get a huge payday from somebody next offseason. I don't know if the Chiefs feel like they can pay Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith, but their only chance to do so would be to avoid a bidding war and get it done a year early.
Smith is only set to make about $3.4 million this season. Four guards are now averaging $20 million or more per season on their deals. If Smith hits the open market after the season it is very likely that he'll get that number. I don't know if the Chiefs will be able to afford that, but they do have room under the cap this season to give him a nice little raise that might be enough to get him to consider taking a little lower APY over the length of the extension.
Singing Smith, especially if they sign Creed too, would pretty much guarantee they would have to cut Joe Thuney after this season. That move would clear up $16 million in cap space. Smith is just 25 as well, compared to Thuney who will turn 32 this season. I don't know if Brett Veach is willing to commit two huge contracts to the interior offensive line, but if he's going to do it, now is the time.
So there you have it Chiefs fans, those are my three players that Brett Veach should be working on extensions for before the season kicks off. What do you think of my list? Do you agree with trying to keep all three of them? Is it even possible to keep Creed and Smith? Is there anyone else you would add to the list? I'd love to read your thoughts in the comments below.
You can also check out some of my other offseason pieces:
- Six Chiefs every fan should be rooting for in training camp
- Chiefs have a major competition brewing for the final WR spots