3 salary cap casualties for the Chiefs after the 2020 season
Scouting Report. 124. Pick Analysis. DE. . Alex Okafor. 2. player
Alex Okafor signed with the Chiefs during the 2019 offseason. The defensive end was off to a nice start with five sacks in 10 games before hitting the injured reserve late in the year with a torn pec.
He is still under contract through 2021, but may never reach the final year of his deal. Okafor will turn 30 years old next February and is set to carry a $7.85 million cap hit in 2021 with a dead cap value of $2 million. If he is traded or released after June 1 that $2 million dead cap carries over to 2022 and the Chiefs would save his entire $7.85 million figure in 2021.
The Chiefs are going to have to get creative all over the roster even if Chris Jones doesn’t sign an extension with the team. Patrick Mahomes and Frank Clark are making enough to force veterans off the roster in favor of younger, cheaper talent.
Okafor has been a solid player since debuting in 2013, but has never risen to star status. His shortened 2019 season hurt his value and it may be too late for him to turn things around enough to warrant staying in 2021 in what is the final year of his contract.