Veach Leaves Door Open for Return of Chiefs’ Key Starter

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Lee Corso was a quarterback at Florida State in the 1950s, but if he were an NFL general manager, he’d have something to say about assuming the Chiefs will release right tackle Jawaan Taylor.

Not so fast, my friends.

That’s essentially what Brett Veach said on Tuesday at the scouting combine, leaving open the possibility of Taylor returning at right tackle for the Chiefs in 2026. Oh, and don’t make releasing Drue Tranquill a foregone conclusion, either.

$60 million in convertible contracts

“With guys like Jawaan and Drue Tranquill,” Veach said Tuesday, “someone asked me about earlier, these guys started for us, and they played a lot of football for us. And again, our cap situation, I don't know if we're $6 or $7 (million) over, but I think we have $60 million in convertible contracts, too.”

In other words, the Chiefs might want Taylor back to shore up their right tackle spot, rather than leave Patrick Mahomes exposed as he returns from season-ending knee surgery. Taylor was thought to be an easy decision because he has the third-largest cap number on the team, set to count $27.9 million against the Chiefs’ cap. Only Chris Jones and Patrick Mahomes have higher cap marks.

Even Taylor tweeted two days after the Jan. 4 season finale something that seemed like a goodbye to Kansas City.

Year 7.

Not the ending we imagined. But I’m thankful for the opportunity, the grind, the lessons, and the fans who never wavered. Through wins, losses, and everything in between Chiefs Kingdom showed up. That never goes unnoticed. Forever Grateful.

- 74. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/X3bAcAk4nj
— Jawaan M. Taylor ♛ (@jawaan_taylor74) January 6, 2026

Many ways to attack cap situation

But, as Veach said Tuesday, the Chiefs’ situation is still fluid.

“So, I mean, we have many different ways to attack this, and I think that's the one thing that we've been good at,” Veach said. “We don't do a lot of money pushed down to future years, and I think we run a pretty tight ship there. So, this gives us flexibility to do different things. So again, that's part of the process with all those guys, and we'll see how the scenarios shake out.”

The obvious scenario, something that still could happen, is releasing Taylor as a cap casualty. Doing so would with a pre-June 1 designation would save $20 million on the Chiefs’ cap and result in $7.39 million in dead money, according to Over the Cap.

But another scenario would be some combination of moves that allows Taylor to return. And while the Chiefs acknowledged his reputation as a penalty-machine, whether marked or not by officials, he's actually an impressive pass blocker. If he can eliminate the flags, Taylor could be one of the league's best right tackles.

Jaylon Moore at RT last season: 70 pass snaps, 14 pressures 😱 (20% pressure rate)

For reference: Jawaan Taylor — 517 pass snaps, 20 pressures (3.8%) 👀

Some fans would rather “save $20M” and let Mahomes tear his ACL again than keep Jawaan…

People have truly lost the plot. 🤦🏽 pic.twitter.com/wiC9DePDhk
— The Daily Chief (@The_Daily_Chief) February 23, 2026

Veach did address the team’s first cap casualty this offseason, defensive end Mike Danna. Kansas City released the respected veteran on Monday. And even though the Chiefs removed Danna from their roster, Veach didn’t say goodbye. He said he might see him again.

“Mike Danna was a little unique and different,” the general manager explained. “Mike Danna was in the building this week. Had a chance to talk to Mike. And you guys know Mike, and he is as good as it gets, just a tremendous player and person, and I have a lot of respect for him. And wanted to just have that opportunity, since I saw him this weekend, to just let him go out there and see what his market is, and we'll remain in contact.”

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