ESPN Insider Provides Updates on Chiefs’ Free Agent Class
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The Kansas City Chiefs' 2022 offseason saw a ton of shakeup and investment at multiple positions. Whether it was via draft capital or free agent money, general manager Brett Veach was hard at work retooling on the fly in an effort to keep his team on the contender tier for the following campaign. A similar effort, albeit on a smaller scale, will be taking place this offseason following the franchise's Super Bowl LVII victory.
This time, the Chiefs are focused primarily on their in-house candidates for contract extensions, trades or free agency. The likes of safety Juan Thornhill, wide receivers Mecole Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. could all hit the open market when the new league year begins on March 15 at 4:00 p.m. ET, and that date is rapidly approaching. With that in mind, Kansas City is running out of time to prepare for the game of free-agent dominoes that will soon be taking place.
In a recent article from Sunday, ESPN insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano dove into the latest rumors they were hearing league-wide. Last week's NFL Combine opened the door for plenty of conversation and speculation to take place, and the Chiefs were no different than any other team on that front. Regarding the free agent class, Fowler wrote that both Hardman and Thornhill very well could command salaries that lead to them not being in Kansas City once the free agency dust settles. Below is more on that, as well as a few additional tidbits:
The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will have a difficult time keeping several free agents. They are bracing to lose receiver Mecole Hardman, who should have a sneaky-good market despite playing just eight games last season. Some teams believe he will hit a pretty good number on a per-year average. Safety Juan Thornhill should also do very well. Some teams are looking at him as the No. 2 safety, a viable option for those who can't afford Jessie Bates III.
The expectation is the Chiefs will franchise-tag offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and attempt to re-sign receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, but that will cost them. Some teams have running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire on their radar as a potential trade option, though I don't believe Kansas City is actively shopping him. It could be more of a "we will listen" situation.
Fowler's analysis on Hardman and Thornhill shouldn't come as a massive surprise, as both players just finished up their rookie contracts and could benefit from comparable roles on other teams. Hardman had a very underwhelming 2022 campaign that got cut short due to injury, but he's still a dynamic threat within an offense when everything is clicking. Thornhill, now multiple years removed from an ACL surgery, began to resemble his rookie self a bit more this last season but needs to be more consistent on a week-to-week basis.
The expectation for weeks (at the minimum) has been that the franchise tag could be heading Brown's way, and it seems that the likelihood of it happening is growing more and more significant. Reports of progressive talks between the two sides have been few and far between, and the Chiefs tagging him helps avoid a free agent scare and also provides more time for extension talks to take place. Smith-Schuster had a decent first season in Kansas City and is also one of the better names among this year's wideout class on the open market, so the team will undoubtedly have to pony up for his services.
Perhaps the most interesting piece from Fowler's reporting pertains to running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The former first-round pick has yet to live up to a high level of expectations throughout his career in Kansas City, and injuries reared their ugly heads once again in 2022. Playing in just six games, the LSU product ran the ball 71 times for 302 yards and three touchdowns while also hauling in 17 passes for 151 yards and three additional scores.
Edwards-Helaire's contract is mostly manageable for this year ($3.443 million cap hit) so if another team is indeed interested in trading for him, it would behoove the Chiefs to at least pick up the phone and listen. The running back room is in need of some depth behind 2022 standout rookie Isiah Pacheco but as he takes a step forward in year two, it's worth questioning whether Edwards-Helaire is his ideal running mate. That situation is something to monitor as the offseason continues to unfold.
