Chiefs ‘Just Cannot Hold’ $30 Million Wide Receiver for Next Season
The Kansas City Chiefs are jubilant following their consecutive Super Bowl victories. But Brett Veach, the general manager of the Chiefs, has some tough choices to make this offseason.
The team’s highest-paid receiver is Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who caught 21 of 42 targets for a pitiful 314 yards and one score at the end of the regular season. Even though he made a number of significant errors, Valdes-Scantling improved in the postseason. He caught 8 of 13 targets for 124 yards and one touchdown in four postseason games.
In the Super Bowl, Kansas City took the lead for the first time in the game thanks to his touchdown in the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers. Even though the NFL honored the veteran’s “redemption” from the postseason with a tribute video on February 18, it’s unclear if MVS’s postseason success will keep him in Kansas City.
In 2024, Valdes-Scantling will sign his $30 million contract with the Chiefs, which will be its last year. Charles Goldman, an analyst for AtoZ Sports, stated: “The issue with that deal is that his cap hit balloons during the upcoming season.” It’s actually the sixth-largest cap hit the team will face in 2019–20 at $13.9 million. For the upcoming season, the only players with bigger cap hits are Justin Reid, Travis Kelce, Jawaan Taylor, Patrick Mahomes, and Joe Thuney.
“With only a $2 million dead money charge, the Chiefs can release Valdes-Scantling and save $11.9 million in 2024,” according to Goldman. “They simply cannot keep Valdes-Scantling next season with that cap hit…,” the author writes, citing a 50% catch rate during the regular season. A strong Super Bowl performance won’t make up for his difficulties throughout the regular season this year.
Tod Palmer of KSHB 41 also believes that Valdes-Scantling will eventually lose his cap. Palmer stated, “Veach might need that money toward that pursuit if Kansas City wants to pursue a big-name free agent as part of the inevitable reshaping of the wide receiver room.”
Eliminating Marquez Valdes-Scantling Might Be a Component of the Major Chiefs’ Offense Transformation
With MVS, the Chiefs were in a similar situation the previous season. In the regular season, he only completed 42 out of 81 targets for 687 yards and two touchdowns; nevertheless, his performance in the AFC Championship game assisted in leading the Chiefs to the Super Bowl.
Last year, the Chiefs had the option to cut the 29-year-old and save $9 million, but they chose to keep him. But according to Nate Taylor of The Athletic, there will be significant adjustments made in the receivers’ room this offseason. “This one, we all know,” Taylor wrote. The Chiefs’ offense needs more healthy, dependable receivers, particularly one or two veterans, to become a formidable unit again.
“The previous campaign shown that the Chiefs possess the coaching staff (led by Andy Reid), quarterback (Patrick Mahomes), and two potent pass catchers (receiver Rashee Rice and tight end Travis Kelce) to help them continue to be the league’s top team. However, this summer, the AFC’s ongoing arms race will only get more intense. To respond, the Chiefs must acquire better wide receivers for Mahomes.
ESPN Insider Projects that the Chiefs Will Try to Sign Bengals Wide Receiver Tyler Boyd.
ESPN’s Aaron Schatz projects that the Chiefs will sign free agency Tyler Boyd away from the rival Bengals in order to add an experienced possession receiver to their failing receiving corps, despite the possibility that they would select a rookie wide in the 2024 NFL draft.
Boyd stayed an important member of the Bengals offense even after they selected Tee Higgins and Ja’marr Chase, which dropped him down the depth chart. He had 125 receptions for 1,429 yards and 7 touchdowns during the previous two seasons.
Based on Spotrac.com, Boyd should receive a $26 million contract for three years, based on his market value. Boyd might be prepared to accept a lower salary, though, if it means he would get passes from Mahomes.
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