Kansas City Chiefs inch further toward salary cap compliance with tough roster move involving 2020 NFL Draft pick
The Kansas City Chiefs made a tough decision with DE Mike Danna after multiple years with the team.
The Kansas City Chiefs are one step closer to salary cap compliance with another move to create space.
Last week, they restructured the contract of QB Patrick Mahomes, creating $43 million in salary cap space. The team announced on Monday, Feb. 23, that they’d released veteran DE Mike Danna. The decision will clear about $8.9M in salary cap space for the 2026 NFL season, while leaving the Chiefs with about $2.1 million in dead money. Danna signed a three-year extension with K.C. worth $24 million in April of 2024 and had one year left on his deal.
Danna was a former fifth-round draft pick, No. 177 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, out of the University of Michigan. He had started 49 games in six seasons with the team, recording 194 total tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 21.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, six passes defended, and an interception. He’d been starting opposite George Karlaftis for the past few seasons and made some big contributions to Steve Spagnuolo’s defense over the past six years as a Day 3 draft pick. Danna will leave Kansas City a two-time Super Bowl champion, having won titles with the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII and Super Bowl LVIII.
How does Mike Danna’s release impact the Chiefs moving forward?
This move will bring the Chiefs closer to salary cap compliance, allowing them to spend in free agency during what will be a pivotal offseason for the team. Projections had Kansas City at over $50 million over the salary cap entering the offseason, but with some of the highest potential to clear money through restructures and cuts. This move, combined with the Mahomes move last week, put the team in a much more manageable salary-cap spot.
As things currently stand, the Chiefs are still somewhere between $2.4 million and $6.4 million over the salary cap. The estimated range reflects differences in how contract incentives and player performance enhancements are accounted for in 2026. They’ll still have more moves down the pipe to create salary cap space, whether that means restructuring contracts or releasing other players.
As far as the impact on the edge rusher position is concerned, this makes the Chiefs’ needs that much more dire. Charles Omenihu is slated to become a free agent, but this position was already underperforming with Danna and Omenihu on the roster. A major priority for Brett Veach in free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft will be finding someone who fits into a rotation alongside guys like George Karlaftis and Ashton Gillotte.
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