Chiefs gave two-time Super Bowl champ more than we thought in return to KC

Entering the offseason, it felt like a foregone conclusion that former first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire was going to have to search for a new home. He had failed as a starter and hadn't done much as Isiah Pacheco's backup either.

Sure, he was on the team for the Kansas City Chiefs' back-to-back Super Bowl wins, but Edwards-Helaire didn't record a single rushing yard in either Super Bowl win. In fact, he has just one attempt as he was inactive for their win against the Eagles.

Despite Edwards-Helaire being mostly a non-factor in the last couple of seasons, the Chiefs opted to bring him back. Sure, it made some sense to bring back a player who might be a good fit in their locker room, especially if it was for the league minimum as was the expectation. Well, it turns out that Edwards-Helaire is getting a bit more than expected.

Chiefs gave Clyde Edwards-Helaire more money than expected

According to OverTheCap, the Chiefs gave Edwards-Helaire a contract that guarantees him over $1.6 million for the 2024 season. That's not too far above the league minimum of $1.125 million for a player entering his fifth season according to Spotrac, but it is higher than that number which was the expectation.

Will this matter in the grand scheme of things? Probably not, but this Chiefs team is in dire need of as much money as they can possibly have. We've already had to see Kansas City move on from L'Jarius Sneed for cap-related purposes. The Chiefs need cap space, and every cent counts.

Edwards-Helaire doesn't have to do much to be worth more than the minimum, but he has to be better than he was in 2023.

The 25-year-old set a career-high in games played with 15 but saw his production fall off a cliff. He had 70 carries for 223 yards on the ground and one touchdown in the regular season. He had fewer carries and rushing yards than he ever had, yet he still saw his efficiency collapse as he ran for just 3.2 yards per carry.

Yes, his role was greatly diminished because of the emergence of Pacheco, but in his limited reps, he simply has to be better. There's no excuse for a NFL running back to average just 3.2 yards per carry. He doesn't have to do much to earn the money he's making, but he has to do more than that at the very least.