KANSAS CITY, Mo. \u2014 The Kansas City Chiefs will have some tough decisions to make this offseason as they\u2019re projected to be dead last in cap space.<\/p>\n
According to Spotrac<\/a>, The Chiefs are currently more than $57 million over the cap with 54 players signed to the roster. The 2026 NFL salary cap is expected to be between $301.2M to $305.7 million.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Obviously and rightfully so, the bulk of that money includes cap hits from Patrick Mahomes ($78.2 million) and Chris Jones ($44.8 million).<\/p>\n End Zone Extra: Get the top Chiefs news and insider features all season long <\/a><\/p>\n While those two pillars of the franchise are clear restructure candidates, there are some other potential moves could make to free up space for a roster with plenty of holes to fill.<\/p>\n The riskiest move would be trading All-Pro DB Trent McDuffie, who will be a free agent at the end of the 2026 season. He will receive a fully guaranteed $13.6 million this season on the last year of his rookie deal.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n If the Chiefs can acquire a first round pick in this year\u2019s draft for McDuffie, a trade can certainly gain some traction, especially since the Chiefs are already selecting in the top 10.<\/p>\n McDuffie has earned top of the line cornerback money in his first three seasons, but the will the Chiefs be able to pay that?<\/p>\n They\u2019ve had a history of moving from defensive backs who\u2019ve performed well in a Chiefs uniform (Charvarius Ward, L\u2019Jarius Sneed and Marcus Peters), but McDuffie is the best of the bunch. The Chiefs have done a great job at developing cornerbacks and Nohl Williams could be next in line after a strong rookie season.<\/p>\n On the contrary, the move could also backfire, as they\u2019d be giving up arguably a top three corner in the NFL, with possibly no clear-cut answer to replace him. It\u2019s a difficult decision that could hover over the Chiefs this offseason.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Another decision that seems more likely, would be cutting RT Jawaan Taylor. While Taylor is a more than capable blocker, his penalties have overshadowed his ability on the field.<\/p>\n Taylor is also expected to be a cap hit of $27.3 million, a number that\u2019s currently third on the team behind Jones and Mahomes. The Chiefs could save $20 million by moving on from him.<\/p>\n