Mock (9/14)
 

Assumptions:

1. The Chiefs go on to have a good, quality season and will be drafting somewhere between 30 and 32. HC Andy Reid and GM Brett Veach are retained for the coming season.

2. Big moves: the Chiefs extend QB Patrick Mahomes 2 years for ungodly amounts of money in like 2033 and 2034 to give him the highest per-year in the NFL (while also providing cap space...); and CB L'Jarius Sneed for 4 years, $72m.

3. The Chiefs re-sign OT Donovan Smith 2 years, $25m; LB Willie Gay 2 years, $13m; P Tommy Townsend 5 years, $20m.

4. The Chiefs bring back the following players on minimal deals: QB Blaine Gabbert, TE Blake Bell, OG Nick Allegretti, LB Jack Cochrane, DT Tershawn Wharton, CB Nazeeh Johnson, S Mike Edwards, LS James Winchester

5. The Chiefs let walk: RB Jerick McKinnon, RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, WR Richie James, TE Jody Fortson, OT Prince Tega Wanogho, OG Mike Caliendo, DT Chris Jones, DT Derrick Nnadi, DE Mike Danna, DE Malik Herring, LB Drue Tranquill

6. The Chiefs sign the following free agents: RB Rashad Penny (Eagles) 1 year, $3.5m; WR Mecole Hardman (Jets), 1 year, $4m; DT DJ Reader (Bengals) 3 years, $40m.

7. The Chiefs's conditional 7th rounder they traded to the Texans for CB Lonnie Johnson, Jr. in 2022 doesn't activate.

10. The Draft:

1. DT Mason Smith, LSU
2. RB Braelon Allen, Wisconsin
3. DT Ruke Orhorhoro, Clemson
4. TE Gavin Bartholomew, Pittsburgh
5 (Cowboys). DE Gabriel Murphy, UCLA
5 (compensatory). T/G Gottlieb Ayedze, Maryland
5 (compensatory). LB Junior Colson, Michigan
6. RB Devin Neal, Kansas
7. QB DJ Uiagalelei, Oregon

The roster:

QB: Mahomes, Gabbert, Uiagalelei
RB: Pacheco, Allen, Penny, Neal

WR: Toney, Moore, Rice, Valdez-Scantling, Hardman, Ross, Watson
TE: Kelce, Gray, Bell, Bartholomew

LT: Smith, Morris
LG: Thuney, Allegretti
C: Humphrey, Allegretti
RG: Smith, Ayedze
RT: Taylor, Morris, Ayedze

DE: Omenihu, Anudike-Uzomah, Thompson
DT: Smith, Wharton, Orhorhoro
DT: Reader, Coburn
DE: Karlaftis, Murphy

WLB: Gay, Colson
MLB: Bolton, Chenal
SLB: Chenal, Cochrane

CB: Sneed, McDuffie, Watson, Williams, Jones, Johnson
S: Reid, Cook, Conner, Edwards

K: Butker
P: Townsend
LS: Winchester

Letting Chris Jones walk means the Chiefs will have about $60m to spend. They can use that to shore up the LT for the intermediate, bring back Sneed and Gay, and prepare for a payment to Humphrey and/or Trey Smith next year.

They can also make a splash. I don't see how the Bengals can afford DJ Reader while paying all the offensive skill guys what they want, and the Chiefs have the cap space and the massive need at DT. Reader shores up the run defense all by himself, while also providing an underrated pass rush. The Chiefs compliment him by dropping 2 of their highest 3 draft picks at DT: and that's how you make a weakness a strength.

I flipped a coin on bringing Danna back (didn't), and over Gay vs. Tranquill (Gay).

The Chiefs receiving corps is another year in and should be realizing their potential, but still lacks a natural Z, so Hardman returns for pennies on the dollar after riding the pine in New York.

Major reworking of the RB position, and voila. I think this team is Super Bowl competitive.

Smith must have some photos if we are paying him then letting him walk as well.

Some of the assumptions I'd personally make are that we don't sign Gay, D. Smith or Sneed. The former i don't think we'll want to pay the market rate. The latter I have a bad feeling about that knee.

If we signed Reader for a little under the Jones deal I wouldn't hate it, but I think I'm almost certainly prioritising LT and WR those first 2 picks. Irrespective of how anyone plays we need a long-term plan for LT and WR is too valuable not to keep swinging early imo

Corrected. Thanks!

I'm not spending that many high picks on the DT position when the return isn't gonna be worth it. It's not likely to find another Chris Jones, so I'd pour more resources into the DE spots and see what I can do there.

It's high time to look at trading up for a LT and being done with bandaids.

Too early for me to know any of the guys in next year's draft but here are a few thoughts:

1. Hard pass on Mecole Hardman, he'll be transitioning is way out of the league soon.

2. A DT from LSU sounds like a nice pickup to me!

3. No to an RB in the 2nd, especially if we bring in Penny who's under appreciated in the league IMO.

4. What happened to Chris Jones?

KC drafting an LSU D lineman gives me horrible flashbacks.

There is no world where we let Chris Jones walk. If we can't work out a deal he is a tag and trade to get more draft capital next year.

How realistic is a tag and trade? Would we pay the cost and who picks up the salary and gives away draft picks? I'm not convinced. I think it's more likely we keep the money.

Yep, agree on an LT. That's the priority, followed.bt WR and then DT. I think draft is where go for LT and WR and another later round DT or DE. FA we look at DT

Why not? No different than someone like Von Miller or DeForest Buckner being traded. We control to some degree who CJ has permission to negotiate with. Probably won't get a 1st but I figure KC could expect at least a 2nd in a trade, particularly if he has another 10+ sack season this year.

Jones is still seen around the league as an elite DT. Someone is going to pony up picks for him. Even at 30 years old, a playoff contending team would likely give up a late first or second for him.

The whole tag and trade scenario sounds great in theory. The Chiefs have to be willing to eat over 30 million in cap space if the trade doesn't happen. Which really limits their abililty to function in free agency until it does happen. Plus, the team trading for him won't give up anything for the privilege of paying him over 30 million for one year of service, so they would need to be sure they can sign him long term if we want them to give up a pick of value. That doesn't even bring into account his age and the very real possibility that he declines in performance after he goes over 30 years old. Too many moving parts to be sure of it happening. I'd say letting him walk is the most likely scenario.

I would think extending him is more likely than letting him walk for nothing. Getting nothing would be a huge **** up on KC's part.