Who are the highest-paid Kansas City Chiefs at each position?
By Jacob Milham
Offense
1. Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes
2023 Cash Amount: $40,450,000
When you are the best in the world at what you do, you get paid a very pretty penny. Mahomes is a generational talent and is somehow outplaying a contract worth nearly half a billion dollars. His cash amount ranks as the fourth-most in the league and only trails other quarterbacks. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is earning an eye-popping $80 million in cash this year alone.
2. Running Back: Clyde Edwards-Helaire
2023 Cash Amount: $2,085,670
Clyde Edwards-Helaire may not be the Chiefs' best running back, but he is still playing on a first-round selection contract, and that usually brings pay well above the league average. His 2023 cash amount ranks as the 30th-most among all NFL running backs and is in some strange company behind Chicago's Travis Homer and Las Vegas' Brandon Bolden. Edwards-Helaire's cash amount is nearly triple that of 2022 rookie sensation Isiah Pacheco.
3. Wide Receiver: Marquez Valdes-Scantling
2023 Cash Amount: $9,000,000
Marquez Valdes-Scantling is the Chiefs' top-paid wide receiver by a wide margin, but the $9 million he will earn this year is hardly an eyesore. Former teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster is earning $10 million this year with the New England Patriots, and the Chiefs money is better spent on Valdes-Scantling. The veteran has two years remaining on his deal, earning $12 million in cash next year.
4. Tight End: Travis Kelce
2023 Cash Amount: $12,250,000
Can Chiefs fans agree that the most underpaid player on the roster is Travis Kelce? The man has a case for being the greatest tight end of all time, and he isn't even the highest paid at his position. His 2023 cash amount ranks sixth among all tight ends. The Chiefs owe a lot to Kelce for taking a pay cut on his last extension, especially when he plays at such a high level.
5. Offensive Tackle: Jawaan Taylor
2023 Cash Amount: $20,000,000
Jawaan Taylor was Brett Veach's big signing this offseason and is paid accordingly. Whether he plays left or right tackle, he is still paid like a franchise cornerstone. His 2023 cash amount is tied for the fourth-highest in the league, but former Chiefs tackle Orlando Brown Jr. leads the league with a hefty $33,723,000 in 2023 cash.
6. Guard: Joe Thuney
2023 Cash Amount: $15,500,000
Like Taylor, Veach lured Joe Thuney to Kansas City with a career-defining contract. Thuney has lived up to his five-year, $80 million deal as the veteran anchor in a young Chiefs offensive interior. His 2023 cash amount ranks as the third-highest among all NFL guards, trailing Indianapolis; Braden Smith and Atlanta's Chris Lindstrom.
7. Center: Creed Humphrey
2023 Cash Amount: $1,165,928
Kelce may be underpaid, but Creed Humphrey is still a massive value on the Chiefs' offensive front. The former round-two selection has been a day-one value, playing at an elite level through his first two seasons. His 2023 cash amount ranks 50th among all interior offensive linemen. The Chiefs will not have Humphrey on a rookie deal forever, and he should be in line for a hefty extension.