Arrowhead Pride
Keep em’ or let em’ walk out the door. I make the call for the Chiefs’ offensive free agents.
With free agency less than a month away, the Kansas City Chiefs have loads of decisions to make about players who are set to walk out the door. At the time of this writing, we estimate that the Chiefs have between $4.8 and $8.8 million in cap space.
This number is likely to change. Kansas City will surely make a few moves to free up some cap space before free agency officially begins on March 12.
Today we are focusing primarily on 11 offensive players who are set to be unrestricted free agents. Let’s try to decide what the Chiefs should do with them.
Kansas City brought Hopkins in as emergency reinforcement for an injury-riddled position group — and while he had his moments in red and gold, by the time the playoffs rolled around, he was being out-snapped by JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Verdict: Let him walk
After his signing last March, there was a lot of hype surrounding the veteran wideout. But his season was truncated by injury before it could even begin. Late in the season, he was able to return — showing flashes of why the Chiefs were so excited about him — but with the emergence of Xavier Worthy, the need for him wasn’t as great as we had anticipated. At the right price, however, he could be a valuable weapon for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Verdict: Re-sign if the price is right
The veteran wide receiver’s career was on life support when he was cut by the New England Patriots last year, but one man’s cast-off is another man’s valuable role player. Sometimes it’s all about a player being in the right situation — and being with a coaching staff that knows how to utilize him.
Verdict: Re-sign him to another one-year deal
The eighth-year veteran has had a good run in Kansas City. He’s a solid special teams player who makes one or two big plays a game. He’s just not a high-target guy — or someone who can reliably move the chains. And while his ability to stretch the field is valuable, with Xavier Worthy in the fold (and Tyquan Thorton available to come off the practice squad in a pinch), he’s not as valuable as he once was.
Verdict: Let him walk
Much like Watson, Hardman has had his highlights with the Chiefs. But with Nikko Remigio taking over kick return duties — and considering Hardman’s limited role in the offense — his probably doesn’t have enough value to justify a roster spot.
Verdict: Let him walk — and try to sign him to the practice squad later
I am the captain of the Jody Fortson fan club, but sometimes the NFL’s fates are cruel. Fortson’s...
