We’ll continue our position-by-position look at how the Kansas City Chiefs are utilizing their salary cap space with the linebackers. ESPN Stats and Information showed the Chiefs to have about $2.9 million in available cap space, which is 30th among the NFL’s 32 teams.
Salary cap commitments: $30,123,955. Justin Houston $13,195,000, Derrick Johnson $5,250,000, Tamba Hali $4,964,705, Dee Ford $1,854,250, Josh Mauga $1,750,000, Frank Zombo $820,000, James-Michael Johnson $660,000, Dezman Moses $610,000, Josh Martin $585,000, JoJo Dickson $435,000. Note: Only the 51 highest figures currently count against the Chiefs’ salary cap, according to NFL rules, so all of these salaries may not figure into the team’s current cap number.
Percent of Chiefs’ total salary cap: 21
NFL average salary cap spending on linebackers: $16,616,067
Chiefs’ rank in linebackers spending: Second among 32 teams
Analysis: The Chiefs would be almost right at the NFL average except for the one-year offer they must extend to Houston as their franchise player. That’s another reason reaching a long-term deal with Houston is important for the Chiefs. Not only would that keep Houston in Kansas City for the foreseeable future, it also would lower his salary cap number considerably, giving the Chiefs more wiggle room. Including Hali and Derrick Johnson, the Chiefs are paying a considerable amount to their top three linebackers, but they’ve been worth the cost. Houston led the NFL in sacks last season with 22 while Hali and Johnson are former Pro Bowlers.
