The Jawaan Taylor era of the Kansas City Chiefs will officially be over by March 11, but whether that’s through a salary-cap-clearing release or trade to another club remains to be seen.

NFL teams are desperate for offensive line talent, and for all of Taylor’s shortcomings with injuries and pre-snap penalties, he remains one of the best pass protectors in the NFL. So, what exactly could a hypothetical trade to ship off Taylor look like?

No matter if they trade Taylor or cut him, Kansas City will incur a $7.3 million dead cap charge. That’s the starting point for all negotiations for a potential trade. The Chiefs could, however, agree to pay some extra salary cap dollars in order to buy themselves a better draft pick.

Let’s weigh hypothetical trade offers with four different NFC teams and see what Kansas City might be able to get in return should they trade Taylor.

Los Angeles Rams obtain their Rob Havenstein replacement

Offer:
Rams send 2026 pick No. 209 (their own sixth).
Chiefs send Jawaan Taylor and cover 2,608,333 of his contract.

The Chiefs already have a dead cap of $7,391,667 if they release or trade him. If they want to get off most of his contract and receive a draft pick, I think they will need to eat some of the salary. So here I ask them to essentially make the total they pay to move on an even $10 million, and they get a sixth in this year’s draft for their efforts.

The Rams need an upgrade at tackle, and with Taylor only having one more year on his contract, I think this move would make sense for the Rams to take a flyer on the tackle who has at least shown the ability to be a plus as a pass blocker. A welcome sight for the reigning MVP, Matthew Stafford.

– Destin Adams

New York Giants kick off John Harbaugh era by finally fixing the O-Line

Offer:
Giants send 2026 pick No. 185.
Chiefs send Jawaan Taylor.

The New York Giants are certainly posturing like a team that’s going to get aggressive quickly after bringing in John Harbaugh. I would suspect that means salary conversions for names like Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, Paulson Adebo, Andrew Thomas, and Jevon Holland. They’re reportedly also releasing Bobby Okereke and shopping Kayvon Thibodeaux for trade. If all that comes together, New York could be looking at nearly $80 million in cap space.

With that space, they could look to bring back RT Jermaine Eluemunor, but he’s entering his age-32 season, and penalties have admittedly been a challenge. Taylor is younger and comes with a one-year commitment as the Giants try to kickstart this build. New York is also likely to spend in free agency, so late-round picks are going to have a harder time making this roster.

– Kyle Crabbs

San Francisco 49ers get insurance for Trent Williams

Offer:
49ers send 2026 pick No. 171.
Chiefs send Jawaan Taylor and cover $3.6 million of his contract.

On paper, the San Francisco 49ers have their tackle duo via Colton McKivitz and Trent Williams. The problem is, Williams and the 49ers aren’t seeing eye to eye on his $39 million cap hit for the 2026 season. Should the contract dispute continue, there is a real chance that Williams joins the free agent class and the 49ers are left looking for his replacement. There are plenty of young tackles in this year’s draft, but San Francisco is in the middle of a Super Bowl window, and they need proven veterans. Insert Jawaan Taylor.

While not on the same level as Williams, Taylor can play both tackle spots, even though he mostly played right tackle in Kansas City. He gives the 49ers two things: a bridge while they search for their left tackle of the future, and reliability, given that he is heading into year 8. Not to mention, it seems that the Chiefs will be willing to eat some of Taylor’s cap hit. With nearly $40 million in effective cap space already, getting a proven veteran on a discount would be a major win for the 49ers.

– Rob Gregson

Arizona Cardinals secure bookend tackle opposite Paris Johnson Jr.

Offer:
Cardinals send 2026 pick No. 182.
Chiefs send Jawaan Taylor.

The Cardinals have a crystal clear need at right tackle. Paris Johnson Jr. is a great player at LT, but the spot opposite of him is expected to be an area of focus for Arizona this offseason. That’s why we’ve seen offensive tackles given to them in mock drafts inside the first five picks of the first round for months now.

Acquiring Taylor would create less of a pigeon-holed problem along their offensive depth chart. They wouldn’t be forced to make a move in free agency or spend major draft capital to add a new potential starter at RT. Not to mention, we are expected to see a new quarterback starting for Arizona next year. The Cards will assuredly want to create the best environment possible for whoever that may be to get the most out of him. Making a move for Taylor may be one of their best possible choices this offseason. Wouldn’t surprise me if the Chiefs tackle is on their radar.

– Adam Holt

Which offer would the Chiefs choose?

Doing business with one of their Super Bowl foes shouldn’t dissuade the Chiefs from choosing the 49ers’ offer. They’ll have to cover a bit of the cost, but that’s also the price of doing business and getting a higher Day 3 pick for a player who’d be cut. Kansas City won’t get anything if they simply cut him, so paying $3.6 million in cap space to effectively buy a pick has some appeal. I’d like to think that you could get one of San Francisco’s multiple fourth-round picks for that particular number. I’d counteroffer in hopes of SF bumping things up.

At the same time, going with the Cardinals’ pick wouldn’t cost the K.C. anything outside of $7.3 million in dead money on Taylor’s contract. Those are the two offers to weigh, and for the sake of being cheap on salary cap spending, going with the Arizona offer would likely be the top choice here. It’s a difference of 11 picks in the fifth round, which isn’t exactly a big enough gap to justify the $3.6 million in cap dollars. If the 49ers were to bump their offer up to a fourth-round pick, Brett Veach would probably have to consider that deal and the extra cap cost.

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