The Kansas City Chiefs signed Jaye Howard to a reported two-year, $12 million contract on Wednesday, one of the rare bargains on day one of free agency. The upside for Howard, 27, is that he will hit free agency again before he's 30 years old. Another chance to cash in with the cap even higher.
The Chiefs have confirmed the Howard signing and in a statement GM John Dorsey noted Howard's improvement as well as his versatility.
"We were able to reach an agreement with Jaye Howard and his representatives to keep him in Kansas City," Dorsey said. "Jaye had a very productive season last year and grew significantly. His versatility allows us to do a lot of different things up front. We are glad he will remain with us."
Look at how some of the free agent linemen were paid to understand the value of them. Malik Jackson scored $15 million per year while his teammate Derek Wolfe's $9 million per year deal looks like peanuts. It's harder and harder to pressure the quarterbacks from the edges with the ball getting out so quickly so there's value in coming right up the middle.
The Chiefs have at least one more year of an affordable defensive line. Things will get tricky after Dontari Poe's contract year next season and then Howard's contract year after that.
Here's a bonus pic of his adorable kids:
It's official! We have signed Jaye Howard.
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) March 10, 2016
READ: https://t.co/SFyAsI86V1 pic.twitter.com/7U0rwM5ihc