Kansas City Chiefs working to re-sign Eric Berry to mega deal
The Kansas City Chiefs are working furiously to sign safety Eric Berry, one of the best at his position in the NFL and a huge piece of their defense…
Some of the biggest unrestricted free agents have been effectively taken off the market on Monday thanks to the franchise tag, and the Kansas City Chiefs are working to re-sign safety Eric Berry as the deadline looms.
#Chiefs are negotiating a deal with Eric Berry for him to be the highest paid safety in @NFL, source says. The sides are working hard at it.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 27, 2017
Once #Chiefs lock up Eric Berry -- and they're trying -- it opens up the possibility of franchise tagging DT Dontari Poe. Could keep both
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 27, 2017
This is certainly interesting news, coming on the heels of a report that the Chiefs had signed offensive guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to a five-year, $41.25 million deal. The Chiefs, according to Spotrac, have the least cap space in the NFL at just over $4 million. They don’t have to be under the cap until March 9th, but signing Berry in any capacity will put them in a very deep hole.
The Chiefs will get some significant cap relief from the release of quarterback Nick Foles, who has a $10 million team option that will undoubtedly be declined.
More from NFL Mocks
- NFL Draft: Ranking the top signal callers of the 2024 NFL QB Class
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft Journal: Cardinals, Falcons tank for USC QB Caleb Williams
- Patriots News & Rumors: Ezekiel Elliott talks fun in Foxboro; Mills to Packers?
- Fantasy Football: 5 reasons Colts QB Anthony Richardson can be a top-end option
- Packers’ Lukas Van Ness will make a Lambeau leap into the NFL in 2023
Once the Chiefs open up some cap space by letting go of Foles, they will have to make some other big-name cuts. The option is certainly out there for Jamaal Charles to be let go, as is the case for punter Dustin Colquitt, and possibly some other veteran players.
The Chiefs could also re-work some of the language on other contracts to try and free up space, but the idea that they could make Eric Berry the highest paid safety in the league and franchise tag Dontari Poe is going to be borderline impossible.
If Kansas City can pull that off, it will be a great accomplishment for Kansas City’s front office.
The priority should obviously be re-signing Berry, who is one of the most important players in the league to their respective team. Berry is the heartbeat of the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense, and re-signing him long-term would be worth the cap hell it might put the team in later on.