Chiefs’ Cap Situation Leaves 3 Veterans at Risk for Release

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – First the coaching staff, then the combine and, finally, the cap casualties.

As the Chiefs navigate the road most other teams drive during January, they have something they haven’t had since 2017: Time. And they’ll need all the time they can get to address the largest salary-cap deficit in the NFL.

brett veac — Feb 28, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach during the NFL combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Kansas City is projected by Over the Cap to be north of $58 million over the cap when the league year opens on March 11.

“I would not look too much into the Chiefs’ placement at the very bottom of the chart,” analyst Nick Korte wrote. “They have a lot of salary due to Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones that are not going anywhere that they can and will restructure to get into compliance for 2026.”

andy rei — Dec 21, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid before a game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Even so, in order to sign their draft class and, more importantly, re-sign Travis Kelce or sign at least one unrestricted free agent, several Chiefs veterans under contract are at risk.

Here are the Chiefs’ three most likely cap casualties, according to Over the Cap.

Mike Danna

Danna, 29, is due $9 million in 2026 on the three-year, $24 million deal he signed in April 2024. However, there’s no guaranteed money in the deal for this year.

And while Danna played an important role in getting the Chiefs to three straight Super Bowls from 2022-24, his production clearly fell off in 2025. The veteran posted career lows in sacks (one) and quarterback hits (four). His 25 tackles were his fewest since his 2020 rookie season.

The Chiefs have a ready-to-go replacement in Ashton Gillotte, their third-round selection in the 2025 draft. Danna isn’t just the most likely Chiefs cap casualty. He’s also No. 7 on Over the Cap’s list of the NFL’s top 100.

mike dann — NFL Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Kristian Fulton

Kansas City had to play without its two Week 1 cornerbacks – Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson -- most of the final month. But Kristian Fulton was supposed to be one of those players when he signed with the Chiefs last March. Instead, prolonged pain from minor offseason knee surgery and a Week 2 ankle injury kept Fulton off the field really until December.

But when the Chiefs needed him, he stepped up. He played well in two late-season starts, including a Week 17 assignment against the AFC’s best team, Denver.

But by himself in 2026, he’s due to account for 4.4 percent of the Chiefs’ salary cap. And like defensive end with Gillotte, the Chiefs have a ready replacement in Nohl Williams. Fulton is an interesting decision in coming months.

Jaylon Moore

Like Fulton, the Chiefs gave starter money to Moore (two years, $30 million) in free agency last March. They had to; they didn’t know at the time whether they could get a left tackle like Josh Simmons in April’s draft. And even when they drafted Simmons, Kansas City didn’t fully know his availability after knee surgery ended his final college season.

But unlike Fulton, Moore’s addition proved pivotal early in the Chiefs’ season. When Simmons had to leave for four games to attend to a family issue, Moore filled in admirably at left tackle. Kansas City was 3-1 over his four starts leading up the bye.

jaylon moor — Jul 22, 2025; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs guard Jaylon Moore (77) walks down the hill to the practice fields during training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

And when Simmons returned, Moore helped the Chiefs on the right side of the line, filling in for an injured Jawaan Taylor until Moore sustained his own knee injury Dec. 14 against the Chargers.

Simmons was all the way down at No. 83 on the Over the Cap list, and letting him go would result in nearly $11 million in dead money. Letting go of the versatile Moore by March 11 wouldn’t happen without several other related moves.

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