The Chiefs have mismanaged their cap badly. Mahomes is still in his rookie deal and they are saving like $40M!!! right now. What will happen when they need to fork it over to sideshow Bob?
Here are the issues:
I called the Frank Clark signing the very worst of the offseason. At $21M it’s absurd to pay a pass rusher like him (as there about 15 guys like him) Khalil Mack money. Not even sure he’s an upgrade over Dee Ford...so far he has been awful, but he was never the superstar his contract suggests.
Tyreek Hil is at $18M a year, though his big increase begins next year. He’s an elite receiver, but that’s a ton of money.
Sammy Watkins is at $16M (lol). This is one of those deals where at the time, “hey they can afford it” ultimately rears it’s ugly head. Even at his best, he isn’t close to that good.
Travis Kelce is at $10M. That’s a lot for a tight end who is totally incapable of blocking.
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is also at $10M, which is a darn lot of money for a guard, especially one who has never made a pro bowl.
In conclusion, between Hill, Watkins, and Kelce, that’s $44M in cap, and if you throw in Clark that’s $65M. Receivers and pass rushers are the worst investments in the NFL considering their cost and the high supply of them.
When they pay Mahomes, this might be an 8-10 win team for a long time.
I’ve gone through stuff like this with Brady when comparing him + key skill players to Manning and Rodgers. Brady + his top 3 skill players may cost less than Mahomes alone. And people wonder why Brady “always has a good defense.” Gee, I wonder. If they actively tried to pump up his production to MVP numbers at the expense of the team, he’d win MVP every year.