Free agency is still more than a week away, but the Kansas City Chiefs are already making some tough financial decisions.
The first, and most prominent, came when the team chose to franchise tag star offensive guard Trey Smith at a cost upwards of $23.5 million in 2025.
It will behoove the Chiefs to sign Smith to a long-term deal and knock his annual average salary down to around $21 million across a multiyear contract, which will afford Smith job security and still render him the highest-paid player at his position in NFL history. But Kansas City applied the tag to avoid Smith hitting free agency, which might have resulted in his departure for another team or a bidding war that could have pushed his annual average cost even higher.
Over the weekend, the Chiefs clued in wide receiver Justin Watson on their plans for his future, which involved the opposite objective.
"The Kansas City Chiefs are moving towards salary-cap hell and have some hard choices to make," Tony Pauline of Sporstkeeda reported on Feb. 28. "I'm told they'd like to bring receiver Justin Watson back, but they informed his agent they do not have the money to do so."
Watson has spent three years in Kansas City, appearing in 50 of 51 regular season games over that span and earning 20 starts, as well as two Super Bowl rings. He has produced 64 catches for 1,064 yards and 7 touchdowns over that span, while also playing 224 total snaps on special teams.
Watson just played out a two-year contract with the Chiefs worth $3.4 million, and Spotrac projects his market value at $1.7 million on a new one-year deal.
