We have some reported numbers on what two of the Kansas City Chiefs top free agents are looking for in free agency. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune has a Bears-centric piece on free agency in which he includes notes on a couple of Chiefs players, including Sean Smith and Jaye Howard.
Biggs reports that the "word on the street" is that CB Sean Smith, 28, is looking for $8-10 million per year in his next deal in free agency. $10 million sounds about right ... $8 million sounds way too low. The fourth highest paid cornerback on an average annual basis is Joe Haden at $13.5 million. The fifth highest is Byron Maxwell at $10.5 million.I was guessing Smith would try to land in between there considering the cap increases in recent years.
Smith hit free agency three years ago at a time when the corner market had bottomed out and signed a three-year, $18 million deal with the Chiefs. It quickly became apparent he was worth more than that and that so I suspect he rightfully wants to max out this contract.
The cap has gone up a LOT since Smith's deal three years ago. The 2013 cap was $123 million; the 2016 cap is $155 million. We need to factor that in as well when comparing these contracts.
Biggs also reports that DT Jaye Howard is "looking for a contract averaging between $8 million and $9 million per year." I really didn't have any idea how much Howard was looking for because he's had really just one season as a full-time player. The Broncos signed 2012 second round pick to a four-year, $36 million contract. That looks like a potential comparison.
I'm just not sure where he sits on the pecking order here with Smith, Eric Berry, Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali all players that the Chiefs might want to bring back too. You also need to consider Dontari Poe's situation. The Chiefs have talked extension with Poe, who is under contract next season. Can you pay Allen Bailey, Jaye Howard AND Dontari Poe?