AFC West's arms race against the Chiefs already an abject failure
During the 2022 NFL offseason, every other team in the AFC West took some big swings in free agency in an effort to dethrone the Kansas City Chiefs. The Los Angeles Chargers added hot-ticket New England Patriots free agent CB J.C. Jackson on a five-year contract worth $82.5 million.The Denver Broncos signed high-priced Dallas Cowboys pass-rusher […]
During the 2022 NFL offseason, every other team in the AFC West took some big swings in free agency in an effort to dethrone the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Los Angeles Chargers added hot-ticket New England Patriots free agent CB J.C. Jackson on a five-year contract worth $82.5 million.
The Denver Broncos signed high-priced Dallas Cowboys pass-rusher Randy Gregory to a five-year contract worth $70 million.
The Las Vegas Raiders signed productive Arizona Cardinals pass-rusher Chandler Jones to a three-year contract worth $51 million.
They were all the top signings for each of these respective AFC West teams in March of 2022. Less than two seasons have passed, and each of these players has either been released or traded.
Jackson was traded back to the Patriots, with the Chargers eating most of his 2023 salary. He appeared in just seven games for Los Angeles in two seasons.
Gregory was released to send a message to a struggling Broncos team. He appeared in just 10 games, mostly due to a knee injury.
Jones was released after a wave of off-field problems this year. He had just 15 games started in Las Vegas and only managed 4.5 sacks.
These teams swung for the fences in an effort to thwart the Chiefs from winning the division for a seventh consecutive season in 2022. They all struck out swinging, and less than a year later, they're paying the ultimate price. Jackson's trade has the Chargers paying $9.33 million in cap charges for the 2023 season and upwards of $15 million in dead cap in 2024. Gregory's release leaves the Broncos with dead cap hits of $16.1 million and $6.3 million in the next two seasons. Jones leaves behind back-to-back dead cap hits over $12 million over the next two seasons.
Chiefs GM Brett Veach was heavily criticized for not getting involved in this high-priced arms race, opting for smaller and more strategic signings during the 2022 NFL offseason. The team went on to win Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles. Meanwhile, now the Chargers, Broncos, and Raiders are all left footing the bill for players who are no longer on their teams over the course of the next three seasons.
Kansas City's opponents aimed to slam the Chiefs' Super Bowl window shut, but in reality, they may have just found a way to extend it even further.
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