The Kansas City Chiefs will have lots of tough decisions to make during the 2020 offseason. Every team goes through some changes following a Super Bowl victory. Brett Veach and his front office staff will work quickly, as they have just five and a half weeks before the beginning of the 2020 league year and the start of free agency.
Three of the decisions the team must make are on players still under contract, but carry a club option for the 2020 season. Before 3:00 p.m. CT on March 18, the Chiefs must exercise club options on RB Damien Williams, LB Damien Wilson and OT Cameron Erving. If they don’t, those players will be subject to the free-agent pool and free to sign with any team.
Williams carries a cap hit of $2.8 million, Erving $4.7 million and Wilson $3.9 million. That’s a potential cap savings of $11.4 million that could be utilized to sign the likes of DT Chris Jones or QB Patrick Mahomes. Of course, I’d be shocked if Kansas City chose to move on from all three players. At the same time, it’d be foolish to expect them all back in 2020.
The most obvious player to keep is Williams. His performance during the postseason has shown that he has what it takes to be the No. 1 back for the Chiefs. At a $2.8 million cap hit, he’s also a massive bargain.
With LB Reggie Ragland and LB Darron Lee set to leave in free agency, it’d make sense for the Chiefs to keep Wilson too. He had a solid season, coming in No. 2 on the team in total tackles. If there is a way to keep him, expect the Veach to do it.
Finally comes Erving, who carries the largest cap hit. Erving started eight games for the Chiefs when LT Eric Fisher suffered an injury. After watching those eight games, anyone with eyes will tell you that Erving still has room to grow as a player. They’ll also tell you that he’s one of the most passionate and strong-willed players on the team. Veach will be in charge of determining whether the whole package can be replaced cheaply, as he will with the other two players. It won’t be an easy choice, but so far, Veach has given us every reason to trust his decision making.