The Kansas City Chiefs have done a good job navigating the 2021 free agency period as it relates to compensatory draft picks. So far, the team is projected to receive a seventh-round compensatory pick in the 2022 NFL draft despite signing five free agents from other teams and losing just two of their own.
According to OverTheCap’s Nick Korte, the Chiefs have lost two qualifying free agents in Sammy Watkins ($5 million) and Tanoh Kpassagnon ($2.3 million). Meanwhile, the team only gained a single qualifying free agent in Joe Thuney. Right now, Kpassagnon’s contract is the one projected to net Kansas City a seventh-round pick in 2022.
The Chiefs signed other players like Blake Bell, Kyle Long and Austin Blythe, but their contracts weren’t large enough to qualify for a compensatory pick. Recently signed DT Jarran Reed doesn’t count toward the compensatory pick formula because he was released by the Seahawks.
Kansas City could be due for more compensatory picks in 2022 as they still have several free agents available who could sign with other teams. LB Damien Wilson, for instance, took a visit with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Wednesday. Players like Austin Reiter, Bashaud Breeland, Mike Pennel and Le’Veon Bell have had pretty quiet markets so far, but they too could fetch contracts that would qualify toward the compensatory pick formula. At the same time, there are players like Alex Okafor, who wouldn’t count toward the compensatory pick formula even if he signed a deal that would otherwise qualify him for it.
Now, obviously, a seventh-round draft pick isn’t all that valuable. If the right player becomes available for the Chiefs in free agency, I fully expect them to sign that player without hesitating about canceling out that projected compensatory draft pick. At the same time, the front office seems to be making moves cognizant of the fact that they could still earn a few more compensatory picks in the late wave of the 2021 free agency period.
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