After an up-and-down first season with the Kansas City Chiefs, right tackle Jawaan Taylor has delivered a strong effort for KC through the first half of his 2024 campaign. On October 25, Taylor made news by having his contract restructured as the Chiefs created salary cap room in order to make space for newly acquired wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Following the restructure, the Chiefs were also able to trade for New England Patriots pass rusher Joshua Uche while still retaining a bit of functional cap space for other roster maneuvering throughout the remainder of the season.
Taylor's restructure reportedly created $5.3 million in 2024 cap room as KC prorated that portion of his salary into a signing bonus, spreading out an annual $1.325 million over the next five years, according to Spotrac.
On Saturday, Taylor spoke to the media and was asked how his conversation with the team went when he was approached about the restructuring and why he agreed to adjust the deal.
"I'm a team-first guy, so anything to help the team win or help the team become better, I'm willing to do that," Taylor said. "So it wasn't really much of a conversation, I just had to make it happen and when it was presented to me, it wasn't even a thought. I was just willing to help the team."
It's worth noting that Taylor didn't lose any money in the adjustment. In fact, by having salary converted into a signing bonus, Taylor got a bit of extra money earlier than he was originally scheduled to bank it, leaving KC flexibility to adjust the books and spread that cap hit out into the future, essentially producing a win-win for both sides.
With that newfound cap space, the Chiefs acquired wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and edge rusher Joshua Uche to bolster the team on both sides of the ball. Taylor was asked what it's like to be a member of a team that continues to add weapons despite already being an established Super Bowl contender.
"It means a lot," Taylor said. "You know, we always want the opportunity to get better and help the team in whatever way we can, we had a couple guys go down with injuries and stuff like that, so I think the guys we brought in are definitely going to help us out."
