:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71995102/1237234994.0.jpg)
A week after the Kansas City Chiefs’ 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, they have 48 players under contract.
Returning players (33)
All of these players were on the teams’s final 2022 active roster and remain under contract for the coming season.
Offense
- C Creed Humphrey
- G Trey Smith
- G Joe Thuney
- T Darian Kinnard
- T Lucas Niang
- TE Noah Gray
- TE Travis Kelce
- RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
- RB Isiah Pacheco
- WR Skyy Moore
- WR Justyn Ross
- WR Kadarius Toney
- WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
- QB Patrick Mahomes
Defense
- DE Michael Danna
- DE Malik Herring
- DE Joshua Kaindoh
- DE George Karlaftis
- DE Frank Clark
- DT Chris Jones
- LB Nick Bolton
- LB Leo Chenal
- LB Jack Cochrane
- LB Willie Gay Jr.
- CB Trent McDuffie
- CB L’Jarius Sneed
- CB Jaylen Watson
- CB Joshua Williams
- S Bryan Cook
- S Nazeeh Johnson
- S Justin Reid
Specialists
- K Harrison Butker
- LS James Winchester
New players (15)
All of these players have been signed to Reserve/Future contracts for the 2023 season, which means that they will be on the team’s 90-man roster when the new league year begins at 3 p.m. Arrowhead Time on Wednesday, March 15. All but three of these players — Ty Fryfogle, John Ross and Daniel Wise — were on the team’s practice squad when the season ended.
Offense
- C Austin Reiter
- G Mike Caliendo
- TE Kendall Blanton
- TE Matt Bushman
- RB Jerrion Ealy
- RB La’Mical Perine
- WR Ty Fryfogle
- WR Cornell Powell
- WR John Ross
- WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
- QB Chris Oladokun
Defense
- DT Danny Shelton
- DT Daniel Wise
- LB Cole Christiansen
- CB Dicaprio Bootle
Free agents (23)
All of these players were on the team’s active roster (or Reserve/Injured list) when the season concluded. Their contracts, however, will expire on the first day of the new league year. Based on the amount of time they have in the league, these players fall into three categories.
Exclusive rights free agents (ERFAs)
These players have less than three accrued seasons in the league. The Chiefs can retain their rights for 2023 by tendering them a one-year NFL minimum contract for the coming season. Most ERFA players are offered (and sign) these contracts.
- T Prince Tega Wanogho
- TE Jody Fortson
- QB Shane Buechele
Restricted free agents (RFAs)
These players have accumulated three accrued seasons in the league. While these players can negotiate and sign with any team, the Chiefs team can offer them a contract tender that comes with the right of first refusal and/or draft-pick compensation should they sign elsewhere.
- DT Tershawn Wharton
- LB Darius Harris
- P Tommy Townsend
Unrestricted free agents (UFAs)
These players have four or more accrued NFL seasons. All are free to negotiate and sign with any team. Some will be re-signed to new Chiefs contracts. Others will be allowed to seek better deals with other teams — and if history is any guide, some of them will later be re-signed if they are unable to find work elsewhere. And some will never again wear a Kansas City uniform.
- G Nick Allegretti
- G Andrew Wylie
- T Orlando Brown Jr.
- TE Blake Bell
- RB Ronald Jones
- RB Jerick McKinnon
- FB Michael Burton
- WR Mecole Hardman
- WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
- WR Justin Watson
- QB Chad Henne
- DE Carlos Dunlap
- DT Derrick Nnadi
- DT Khalen Saunders
- DT Brandon Williams
- S Deon Bush
- S Juan Thornhill
Draft picks (12)
As it now stands, Kansas City will have nine picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, which will be held at Kansas City’s Union Station April 27-29. The team originally had 11 selections for 2023 — but during the season, the team traded two of them to the New York Giants for wide receiver Kadarius Toney: its own sixth-round pick and a third-round compensatory pick that it had received when Ryan Poles became general manager of the Chicago Bears.
- Round 1, Pick 31
- Round 2, Pick 32
- Round 3, Pick 32
- Round 4, Pick 21 (from Miami)
- Round 4, Pick 32
- Round 5, Pick 32
- Round 6, Pick 21 (from Miami)
- Round 7, Pick 8 (from Atlanta)
- Round 7, Pick 32
In addition to these nine picks, the team is expected to be awarded some compensatory picks for 2022’s free agency losses. The precise number (and position) of these picks is yet unknown, but the current estimate is that the team will receive three picks: two at the end of the sixth round and one more at the end of the seventh round. That would bring the total to 12 picks.
Please note: the seventh-round pick Kansas City acquired from the Atlanta Falcons in their trade for cornerback Rashad Fenton was a conditional pick. Fenton appeared in two games for the Falcons — starting one of them — immediately after the trade, but was inactive for six of the remaining seven games. It is possible that Fenton didn’t play enough to satisfy the conditions of the trade. So the Chiefs might have just 11 picks on draft day. We won’t know for certain until the league releases the final draft order.
Cap space ($526,000)
According to the salary-cap site Spotrac, the Chiefs are estimated to have $526,000 in salary-cap space. Until the new league year begins on March 15, there is actually no limit on the team’s salaries. But starting then — and until the beginning of the 2023 season — the team’s top 51 salaries must fit under the cap. So this figure is actually an estimate of how much cap space the team would have if the new league year began today with 48 players under contract.
This figure, however, is likely to change soon. The Chiefs will be making roster moves to create additional cap space before the league year begins.
As always, our Chiefs roster page — available under the Resources tab on any Arrowhead Pride page — has the up-to-date team roster and salary-cap information. As the offseason progresses, be sure to check it often.
Loading comments...