This offseason, I took control of the Kansas City Chiefs in GM Mode on StickToTheModel with one objective: fix the cap situation, protect the core, and reload around the franchise quarterback.
Here’s how it unfolded.
The Big Picture
- Starting Cap Space: -$54.9M
- Final Cap Space: $23.0M
- Players Cut: 3
- Contracts Restructured: 7
- Contracts Extended: 1
- Free Agents Signed: 5
- Draft Picks: 7
- Overall Grade: A
This was a cap recovery offseason. Major restructures created flexibility while keeping the championship window open.
The Cap Moves
Cuts
Michael Danna
- Cap Savings: +$8.8M
Drue Tranquill
- Cap Savings: +$5.8M
Jawaan Taylor
- Cap Savings: +$19.5M
These moves were necessary to eliminate the negative cap situation and create breathing room.
Restructures
Seven contracts were reworked to generate immediate space:
- Patrick Mahomes (+$35.3M)
- Trey Smith (+$12.4M)
- Chris Jones (+$11.9M)
- Creed Humphrey (+$8.7M)
- George Karlaftis (+$7.8M)
- Nick Bolton (+$6.8M)
- Noah Gray (+$1.8M)
The restructures were the key to flipping the cap from negative to positive.
Locking In the Secondary
Extension: Trent McDuffie
- Cap Impact: +$3.6M
Securing a cornerstone defender keeps the secondary stable long term.
Free Agency Additions
Five total moves were made in free agency, including one key re-signing.
Re-Signed
Bryan Cook (S) – 2 years / $4.8M APY
Secondary depth and versatility retained to maintain continuity in the defensive backfield.
External Additions
Kyle Pitts (TE) – 3 years / $14.7M APY
A major weapon added to the passing game.
Kenneth Walker III (RB) – 2 years / $10.7M APY
Backfield explosiveness added to complement the offense.
Jaelan Phillips (EDGE) – 2 years / $9.4M APY
Edge pressure to strengthen the defensive front.
D.J. Reader (IDL) – 1 year / $4.7M APY
Interior defensive line reinforcement.
Draft Class Breakdown
Seven picks focused on adding young contributors and reinforcing both lines.
Round 1 – Pick 19
Denzel Boston (WR, Washington)
Round 2 – Pick 40
Akheem Mesidor (DL, Miami FL)
Round 3 – Pick 74
Malik Muhammad (CB, Texas)
Round 4 – Pick 109
Keylan Rutledge (OG, Georgia Tech)
Round 5 – Pick 154
Sam Roush (TE, Stanford)
Round 5 – Pick 176
Albert Regis (DL, Texas A&M)
Round 7 – Pick 216
VJ Payne (S, Kansas State)
The draft leaned toward defensive line depth and offensive support pieces.
Final Take
This offseason was about survival and stability. The Chiefs erased a major cap deficit, restructured key contracts, extended a cornerstone defender, and added targeted free agents to maintain competitiveness.
With the cap flipped to positive and the core intact, Kansas City remains firmly in the contender tier.
Want to Run Your Own Offseason?
I built this roster using GM Mode on StickToTheModel. If you want to take control of your favorite team, manage the cap, make trades, sign free agents, and run the draft yourself, you can do it there!
Be the GM of any team here:
Build it your way.
