4 free agents the Chiefs should happily let leave

3. Jerick McKinnon

McKinnon turned some heads this season by supplanting Clyde Edwards-Helaire as the team’s No. 2 running back, but he wasn’t overly effective in the Chiefs’ backfield. 73 carries for 290 yards and a single touchdown should be relatively easy for such an explosive offense to replace in the offseason.

The fact that Kansas City’s Super Bowl starter Isiah Pacheco was acquired with a seventh-round pick shows just how easy it is to find bargains at the running back position. There’s no reason for the Chiefs to give McKinnon a significant contract just because he’s an “established veteran.”

In an ideal world, Edwards-Helaire can bounce back and rediscover the form that made him an exciting prospect as a rookie. That’s the cheapest course of action for the Chiefs in the offseason. Even if they feel like they need to acquire a new backup running back, a late-round draft pick or bargain free-agent acquisition should fill the role with relative ease.

Overpaying a name like McKinnon is the type of thing foolish front offices do to hamstring their cap space in future seasons. The Chiefs are too smart to make that type of mistake. If McKinnon wants anything more than the league minimum he should play his football somewhere other than Kansas City next season.