Around the AFC West: Can the Chiefs afford a new deal for Mahomes?
Mar 13, 2020, 6:35 AM
This is a never-before-seen time in sports. With so many games getting suspended or outright cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NFL is making some changes to the offseason calendar. There are no plans to move the start of the new league year on March 18, but the NFL has to make some adjustments with many in the league working from home if they can.
The NFL did cancel its annual meeting that was scheduled to be held in West Palm Beach, Fla., from March 29 through April 1. Otherwise, it’s business as usual as much as possible for the NFL right now, and that means news is still happening all over the league.
Let’s take a spin around the AFC West to see what the competition is up to.
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Kansas City Chiefs
Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes is in no rush for a new contract according to the people I talk to. Mahomes is going to get a record-setting deal whenever the Chiefs find a way to get it done. He’s not in any hurry and is at least waiting for the Collective Bargaining Agreement to be ratified before really pushing for a new contract.
The Chiefs had better pay him sooner rather than later because the price is only going to go up the longer they wait. The Super Bowl MVP is the best quarterback in the league and could earn a salary that pays him around $40 million annually – and that may be a conservative number.
Here’s the problem: The Chiefs don’t have any money. They currently have around $28 million in salary cap space and that’s enough to sign their draft class and then one big-time free agent. That player to be signed, whether it’s just on the franchise tag or with a new long-term contract, is defensive tackle Chris Jones. The team doesn’t want to let him get away, so they’ll do what they can to keep him.
That means a contract for Mahomes is going to have to wait. They do have him under their control for two more years, but again – waiting only makes his deal go up and up in price.
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Las Vegas Raiders
Raiders offensive guard Gabe Jackson is being discussed in trade talks as the new league year approaches. Jackson has a non-guaranteed $9.6 million salary next season. That’s a big price tag for a decent starter when he’s healthy, and the rest of his deal may give interested teams pause when considering Jackson.
During the next three years of his contract, Jackson is due $28.7 million and that’s going to be tough to trade away. He only played in 11 games in 2019 due to a MCL injury and hasn’t played a full 16-game season since 2016.
The Raiders may have a quarterback change in 2020 and they’ll need to protect whoever their starting passer is (Tom Brady?). Having Jackson out there is going to help, but that salary keeps them from having enough room to make themselves a larger player in free agency.
The team also wants to run the ball early and often with Josh Jacobs, and that’s where Jackson can really make an impact when healthy. They may entertain the idea of trading Jackson away, but I’d be surprised if a team would be willing to take on his inflated price tag.
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Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are going to have a new featured running back in 2020 and that is Austin Ekeler. They are moving on from Melvin Gordon as he’s expected to find a new home in free agency. With Ekeler being their starter and lead back, the Chargers decided to sign him to a new contract late last week.
Ekeler signed a four-year, $24.5 million contract with the Chargers. That’s a great deal for the undrafted free agent who grew up in Eaton, Colo., and played college football at Western State up in Gunnison. Ekeler has become a fantastic weapon in the passing game, as evidenced by his 92-catch season last year. With this deal, Ekeler could be asked to do a bit more on the ground.
During the last two seasons, Ekeler has rushed for around 550 years each year. That’s good for a change-of-pace back, but that’s about half the total he should have if he was a full-time back. I don’t think they’ll all of sudden see Ekeler get 1,000 yards on the ground, as the Chargers will use Justin Jackson to complement Ekeler in the backfield. However, Ekeler should gain closer to 750 yards rushing while remaining a huge part of the passing game.
With Philip Rivers moving on in free agency, the Chargers are going to have a new starting quarterback in 2020. No matter if that is Tyrod Taylor or Tom Brady or some first-round rookie, they will have a mandate to get Ekeler the ball – and he should quickly and easily become a favorite target.
