The Kansas City Chiefs have plucked one of the most coveted linemen off of the free agency market, signing former New England guard Joe Thuney to a five-year, $80 million contract. Kansas City, days after releasing tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz, swooped in to sign Thuney, who had been in known negotiations with the Patriots and Jets before the Chiefs strong play.
The Thuney contract, at an average of $15 million, will be the highest for any NFL guard on a multi-year deal. Kansas City will undoubtedly have more moves forthcoming to address a changing offensive line landscape, as Austin Reiter, Mike Remmers, Kelechi Osemele, and Daniel Kilgore all will be free agents this offseason.
Over the weekend, the Chiefs decided to not tenure veteran tight end Deon Yelder, making him an unrestricted free agent, and making All-Pro Travis Kelce the tight end under contract with Kansas City in 2020 still on the roster today. Yelder joined the NFL as a undrafted free agent with New Orleans in 2018, before the Chiefs picked him up after a mid-season release. After his move to the active roster, Yelder appeared in 26 games for Kansas City, with 10 catches for 86 yards over portions of three seasons.
The Chiefs, on Monday night, agreed to a one-year contract with defensive end Taco Charlton, bringing him back to the team, after his 2020 season was cut short by a mid-season fractured ankle. Charlton is attempting to find traction and momentum in a star-crossed career that has seen stops in Dallas and Miami prior to Kansas City. He was the 28th overall pick of the 2017 draft by the Cowboys.
On Tuesday afternoon, KC released running back Damien Williams, ending the stay with the Chiefs for one of the hero’s of the Super Bowl LIV victory over San Francisco in February 2020. Williams scored both the go-ahead and championship-clinching touchdowns for the Chiefs in the fourth quarter of that game, giving the franchise its first-Super Bowl title in 50 years. The move to release Williams will clear up more than $2 million in salary cap space.
On the same day, the Chiefs decided to bring back veteran running back Darrel Williams, on a one-year deal with up to $2.14 million with $930,000 in incentives, according to the Kansas City Star.
