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After making a big splash by signing former New England Patriots guard Joe Thuney to a five-year contract on Monday, the Kansas City Chiefs started their Tuesday moves by offering a restricted free agent contract tender to offensive lineman Andrew Wylie, per a report from Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star.
The Chiefs are tendering guard Andrew Wylie to bring him back for a fourth season, source confirmed, as ESPN reported. Wylie played a career-high 88 percent of team's snaps in 2020.
— Sam McDowell (@SamMcDowell11) March 16, 2021
The offer is likely to be an original-round tender that will pay the 26-year-old Wylie $2.1 million in 2021. As an RFA, he is free to negotiate with other teams — but the Chiefs have the right to match any offer and retain him. Since he entered the league as an undrafted player, any team that signs him away would not be required to compensate Kansas City with a draft pick.
Wylie — who won 2018’s Mack Lee Hill award as the team’s best first-year player — will enter his fourth season in Kansas City after being given an exclusive rights free agent contract in 2020.
Last season, he mostly played at right guard after Laurent Duvernay-Tardif opted out, starting a total of 14 regular-season games and all three of the postseason contests. He also started 10 games in 2018 when Duvernay-Tardif suffered a season-ending injury and 11 more at left guard in 2019. He will likely serve as the team’s primary backup at both guard positions — but can also play tackle.
Wylie played his college ball at Eastern Michigan, originally entering the league with the Indianapolis Colts. He signed with the Chiefs after 2017 practice-squad stints with the Colts, Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Chargers.