The Kansas City Chiefs have begun to handle some of their own players, starting with tendering contracts to restricted free agents.
As first reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Chiefs plan to tender restricted free agent guard Andrew Wylie. Kansas City Star beat writer Sam McDowell confirmed Fowler’s report. A free-agent signing in 2018, Wylie has become a reliable depth player for Kansas City over the years. He’s started a total of 35 games during that span at three different positions for the Chiefs.
This isn’t going to be viewed as a flashy move, especially after Wylie played out of position at right tackle in Super Bowl LV. This is the type of move that you make to reinforce your offensive line depth heading into a season where you won’t have as many familiar faces. He can help get the new guys acclimated and still play valuable snaps for the team if they’re in a pinch.
https://twitter.com/SamMcDowell11/status/1371812888181047297
For those unfamiliar with restricted free agents, they are players with at least three accrued years of service in the NFL. The team can tender them a one-year non-guaranteed contract at the following three amounts.
| Type | Amount |
| 1st round | $4,766,000 |
| 2nd round | $3,384,000 |
| Original round | $2,133,000 |
Those players are still able to be signed to offer sheets by other teams. If they’re tendered at the first- or second-round level, the team they’re signed from would receiver draft compensation in the corresponding round. An original round tender would only come with the right to match the offer sheet.
Expect the Chiefs to use an original round tender on Wylie. It would keep his salary low for the 2021 season, but also open up the possibility that an opposing team could come in and sign him to an offer sheet. That seems unlikely in this season with a lessened salary-cap number, but teams open themselves to that risk at the lowest level of tender.
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