There was a day when the NFL had a standard player contract. It was two pages and there was seldom any reason to have more paper involved in the deal. Back in April when the Miami Dolphins signed offensive tackle Jake Long before the draft as the league’s No. 1 selection, his contract covered some 40 pages.

The entire salary cap system and all the rules and regulations under it that have been created over the 14-year life of the cap will give you a headache should you sit down and try to understand them all. That’s why the Chiefs are lucky to have Thum, who is one of the league’s best at understanding the system and making it work for his team.