Kansas City Chiefs
Chiefs have difficult decisions after this season
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs have difficult decisions after this season

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET
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What are the Kansas City Chiefs going to do about Eric Berry and Dontari Poe after this season? We take a long, hard, honest look.

As we bask in the glow of victories and what appears to be a deep and talented football team, this offseason carries questions. Ones that not only impact next season, but could foretell changes in seasons to come. We explore what changes could be in store, namely, we look at pending unrestricted free agents Dontari Poe and Eric Berry, as well as the future of Jamaal Charles.

For a point of reference, I want to point out what limitations the Chiefs are dealing with in terms of the salary cap in the years to come. We will use the website OverTheCap.com for our salary cap referencing.

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Entering the 2017 season, the Chiefs are third in the NFL in money committed towards the cap, with $166,957,345 currently ‘on the books.’ The salary cap, if increases from previous seasons holds as is expected, appears to be headed in the $166 million to $168 million area. If the salary cap is at 166 million, the Chiefs are already over the salary cap.

The 2018 Chiefs’ salary position does not appear to be that much better, as they are second in the NFL in cap commitments, currently sitting at $146,351,891 for 2018 with a projected cap number of $178,000,000. That leaves them in 2018 with a projected $31,648,109 in cap space.

And wouldn’t you know it, 2019 is better, but only somewhat. Already, the Chiefs are ninth in commitments towards the salary cap, and it should be noted, and this will come up again, Alex Smith is not a part of this number. With a projected cap number of $190,000,000, the Chiefs already have $80,045,559 committed.

The reason the Chiefs’ salary cap is mentioned and is so important in this discussion is that if the Chiefs want to bring back either Eric Berry or Dontari Poe, their contract numbers in 2018 and 2019 could be problematic. A majority of NFL contracts have much larger cap numbers in the second year and forward; and the 2017 salary cap makes the situation even more dicey.

Next, we’ll explore the franchise tag cost of both Berry and Poe, in case the Chiefs want to keep either player but are unable to get a contract done.

Jan 9, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Kansas City Chiefs free safety Eric Berry (29) reacts after intercepting a pass against the Houston Texans during the first quarter in a AFC Wild Card playoff football game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

First, Eric Berry. Currently playing under the 2016 safety franchise tag, tagging him again would cost $12.96 million in 2017. Poe would be sitting at $15.07 million.

Another factor, though not a huge issue, is the NFL Draft. The current draft class counts just under $5 million in a total cap hit at $4.7 million, and appears to value close to $6 million in total cap hits next season in 2017. The Chiefs draft class of 2017, assuming they use a first-round pick, will likely command a total of $5 million in cap space, thus limiting what the Chiefs have to use.

If we want to determine perhaps a more approximate cap commitment for 2017, we can say the Chiefs have close at $170 million in 2017. Dorsey and Co. will need to find some cap room.

First and foremost, the Chiefs will likely choose between either Nick Foles or Alex Smith this offseason. Both have big cap numbers. Releasing Foles after the season saves the Chiefs $10.75 million against the cap.  Which leads to the next player, running back Jamaal Charles.

Charles is a fan favorite, and arguably the best running back to ever play for the Chiefs. He is the organization’s all-time leading rusher with 7,260 rushing yards and is currently has the highest yards per carry in league history. We are discussing someone that’s just on the outside looking in on the Hall of Fame. And we’re also talking about a player the Chiefs are almost certainly to release this off season.

Due $7 million next year, Charles, much like Foles, has zero guaranteed money left on his contract. This December, Charles will reached the dreaded 30 years of age, the scarlet letter of football running backs. With the emergence of Spencer Ware along with the contribution of Charcandrick West, it’s hard to imagine the Chiefs bringing back No. 25.

There are a few other names to keep an eye on this offseason as men who could find themselves on the wrong end of the salary cap equation are fullback Anthony Sherman and punter Dustin Colquitt. Kansas City saves $1.8 million cutting Sherman and $4.1 moving on from Colquitt.

KANSAS CITY, MO – NOVEMBER 06: Defensive tackle Dontari Poe

Working out a new, long-term contract for either player at this point is going to be difficult. Still, the Chiefs should focus their attention towards Poe and work to get a deal done with him before Berry. While we all love Berry, fan favorite and great story, the availability of men the size of Poe is difficult to find and not easily replaceable.

Another factor in working in favor of Poe is that the Chiefs, despite their youth and relative inexperience, are fairly deep with defensive backs. Three safeties are set to return in improving Daniel Sorensen, the ever-versatile Ron Parker and rookie Eric Murray. Parker has experience playing both safety and cornerback, and Murray was a cornerback in college at Minnesota before the transition to safety here in Kansas City.

On the defensive line, you have the returning Jaye Howard who is under contract through 2017, there is emerging second-rounder Chris Jones, Allen Bailey, Kendell Reyes, Rakeem Nunez-Roches and David King. While the Chiefs have plenty of options on the outside, there is currently no player that fits the bill of a 3-4 defense the Chiefs implement.

I do expect the Chiefs to, at a minimum, find more depth at both positions in the upcoming draft, though I’d be somewhat surprised if either position was addressed early. Either way, I would not expect Berry to return, and we’ll see what happens with Poe.

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