NFL Free Agency update: Chiefs re-sign long-time punter Dustin Colquitt

After making a couple of big splashes in free agency, the Kansas City Chiefs decided to bring back Dustin Colquitt, on a three-year deal.

Dustin Colquitt is coming off another one of his typically solid seasons. With the recent decision not to re-sign long-time middle linebacker, Derrick Johnson, Colquitt is officially the longest-tenured Chief. About to enter his 14th NFL campaign, Colquitt was among the top punters in 2017 finishing in the top ten in net punting average and kicks inside the 20. Additionally, he had the league’s longest punt of the year at 77 yards.

Colquitt has been named to the pro bowl twice in his career and is currently 16th on the all-time punting yardage list. He’s only missed two games in his 13 seasons in the league and boasts the 23rd best punting average in football history. Colquitt is the Chiefs’ all-time leader in punts, punting yards, and average yards per punt. He also holds the franchise’s longest punt of 81 yards in 2007.

Contract details

He’s taking a pay-cut from his 2017 salary, but he does remain in the top ten in punter salaries.

National reaction

Grade

Chalk this signing up to why rock the boat? If they didn’t re-sign Colquitt, the Chiefs would have had to look elsewhere, either through free agency or the draft. Colquitt has been as consistent as they come. $2.5 million per year (perhaps as much as $3 million if he hits the incentives) does nothing to hurt the Chiefs’ flexibility in free agency and is actually a significant pay-cut from his 2017 cap number of $4.9 million. Even as a punter, Colquitt is one of the leaders on the Chiefs. It’s likely he retires in Kansas City someday and that someday could be several years down the road. The youth movement is on in Kansas City and keeping one of the “old” guys around makes perfect football sense.

Grade: A