The Kansas City Chiefs signed OT Jared Gaither last week and the man who broke the story, KC Star's Adam Teicher, reports now that it's a one-year contract worth $685,000. This is what we expected -- one or two years with a (relatively) low base salary -- so it's not a surprise.
To me, a one-year contract for a guy like Gaither is a great move. You get a player whose ceiling is clearly very high and a one-year contract could motivate him to reach that ceiling.
It's a win-win for both sides. For the Chiefs, they don't risk much by signing him to a one-year deal and they get the possibility of him having a good year. For Gaither, he will re-enter the open market next year and we know most players want to hit free agency.
Every player in the NFL is looking for that big second contract. After leaving the Baltimore Ravens, Gaither didn't find that on the open market, opting to instead sign a one-year deal with the Chiefs. Presumably, he wants a long-term deal so that can be his motivation to have the best possible year.
We'll see how this turns out but it appears to be another low-risk, high-reward type of signing for GM Scott Pioli.