With Eric Berry receiving a long term deal as of this afternoon, can Kansas City now keep Dontari Poe?
Boy, is the NFL popping with news today or what? We have seen cuts, extensions, and franchise tags placed. In Kansas City, the Chiefs have been busy with a series of transactions, all of which could be massive. The Chiefs released fan favorite Jamaal Charles, which they did while on the verge of making Eric Berry the league’s highest paid safety. Initial speculation this week was that the Chiefs would once again need to use the tag on Berry.
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
The team’s two big unrestricted free agents this offseason were Berry and Dontari Poe. The feeling was Berry would be tagged for the second consecutive year, and Poe would be allowed to walk. However, now that KC has gotten a Berry deal put in place over night, it means the Chiefs could keep both Berry and Poe. The deadline to use the franchise tag is tomorrow, and now the Chiefs have the option of using it on Poe.
At this point, Poe is more of a luxury. It would be nice to keep the big man as well, but the Chiefs have plenty of depth up front. Chris Jones had a fabulous rookie season this past fall, and a mix of Allen Bailey, Jaye Howard, and Rakeem Nunez-Roches is one to get excited about.
Those are under the radar players who will continue to develop. The tag is a hefty investment for one year; it is projected a DT will cost around $14,770,194 under the tag in 2017. That’s quite the cap hit, and the Chiefs have to discuss if Poe is worthy of a long-term investment.
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It could very easily be argued that the organization can afford to let another fan favorite walk and use the money elsewhere this spring.