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According to a report from friend-of-the-site Terez Paylor of Yahoo! Sports, the Kansas City Chiefs have signed 35-year-old quarterback Matt Moore to a one-year contract.
The Chiefs have agreed to a one-year deal with QB Matt Moore, a source tells @YahooSports. A little additional QB depth for a year where depth will be important.
— Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) July 10, 2020
According to The Athletic’s Nate Taylor, Moore signed a deal giving him the veteran minimum salary. For a player with Moore’s experience, that would pay him $1.05 million. But according to Spotrac.com, his cap hit will be just $750,000, which indicates he is yet another player who has signed a Veteran Salary Benefit contract with the Chiefs.
Another report from ESPN’s Field Yates said that the Chiefs are releasing former University of Michigan (and Ole Miss) quarterback Shea Patterson to make room for Moore on their 90-man roster.
This will give the team four quarterbacks as they head into training camp: Patrick Mahomes, Chad Henne and Moore — plus the rookie (and former XFL standout) Jordan Ta’amu, who took over the starting quarterback job at Ole Miss when Patterson transferred to Michigan.
Moore — who was quickly signed to the team after Henne was injured in a preseason game last season — started two games in 2019 after coming in to replace Mahomes when he dislocated his kneecap during the Week 7 victory over the Denver Broncos. In the offseason, the Chiefs opted to retain Henne — who is under contract through 2021 — and give Moore the opportunity to find work elsewhere after going 1-1 in his Chiefs starts.
Paylor likely has it right: this move is insurance on top of insurance. No other veteran free agent would be better equipped to step in should Mahomes and Henne be injured (or be restricted from playing because of a coronavirus infection) during the coming season.