Only 14 teams made the playoffs this year
Only 5 are true contenders: Chiefs, Bills, Bengals, Eagles, and 49ers
Only 2 have their star QB under long-term contract: Chiefs and Bills
Only 1 is ranked in the top 11 of PFF's "NFL Offseason Resources Composite Table".
- The Bills are bottom 3 on the list, currently projected for negative cap space and very little draft capital meaning they will have to prorate a significant amount of money just to get by next year and they will be signing less highly-regarded young talent.
- The Bengals are the closest contender to the Chiefs on the scale at #15, but their cap number is massively boosted by having Burrow and Chase on rookie deals, and their 2023 draft capital is significantly less than the Chiefs'.
- The Eagles are the next closest contender (#20), and they have lower scores across the board with serious problems prorating money into the future. And they still have to pay Hurts.
- The 49ers are bottom 5 with their biggest issue being lack of draft capital after trading up for Trey Lance last year and nabbing CMC midseason. They currently have the 3rd worst draft capital for 2023.
The only 2 playoff teams with more resources this offseason than Veach & Co. are the Seahawks and the Giants, neither of whom are contenders this year nor do they have their starting QB under contract next year.
The next closest playoff team with a long-term QB is Dallasat #19, a wild-card team unlikely to make the NFC Championship game, much less the Super Bowl.
Looking across the entire league, Veach has the Chiefs sitting as one of only four teams in the top 40% of cap space, draft capital, and proratable money. The other 3?
- The Raiders: no playoffs and no Derek Carr next year
- The Lions: just missed the playoffs and Jared Goff is their starter
- The Colts: no playoffs, no coach, and Matt Ryan as QB one more year
Loading comments...