The Kansas City Chiefs continue to restructure the contracts of their franchise pillars. Days after the team reworked the contract of Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City did the same with fellow Pro Bowlers Travis Kelce and Chris Jones (per The Athletic's Nate Taylor).
The restructures free up nearly $23 million, leaving the Chiefs with almost $20 million in salary cap space in preparation for the start of free agency on Wednesday. Kansas City's top priority will be to revamp its offensive line after Mitchell Schwartz retired and the front office released Eric Fisher last week. The Chiefs have a reported visit with Kyle Long if the veteran lineman doesn't reach a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Kelce finished with a NFL-record 1,416 receiving yards by a tight end, finishing with 105 catches and 11 touchdowns in 15 games. He has 3,703 yards after the catch since entering the league in 2013 -- the most in the NFL. Kelce's 473 catches and 6,144 yards since the start of the 2016 season are the most in the NFL and he has the most receiving yards (7,881) through a tight end's first eight seasons in NFL history. The Chiefs save $9.14 million with Kelce's restructure (per Over The Cap).
Jones earned his second consecutive Pro Bowl selection and has 16.5 sacks for the Chiefs over the past two seasons. He finished with 7.5 sacks, 28 quarterback hits, 44 pressures, and two forced fumbles last season. Kansas City saves a projected $13.67 million with the Jones restructure (per Over The Cap).
