I know that's a dirty phrase to utter, but it's important to keep things in perspective here.
We *barely* lost the game, and unfortunately there were some critical rookie mistakes, horrendous misses from an off-the-street kicker. We also had Gay & McDuffie out. A very weak personal foul call was a fatal blow. It sucks, but sometimes it be that way.
Looking ahead
Taking a big-picture view, we have one of the strongest rosters in the league, one of the youngest rosters in the league, with the best QB in the league, and multiple key starters locked up for at least the next 2 years. We also have a top-2 coach in the league, with a top-5 GM in the league armed with a talent evaluation staff that is top-notch. Our medical and training staff is among the best in the league as well.
We will have more than par picks next year. We have no reason to believe that our young defensive players will not continue to ascend, similar to Gay/Bolton. We should have cash to spend next year as well, should we choose to.
While we should absolutely be competing for a Super Bowl every year that we have Mahomes, and we likely will this year, it's crazy to think that we are this good and well set up for the future on a year where we are overhauling our entire receiving corps and have a fresh-out-the-womb defense.
We are going to rip butts wide open for the next 3-5 years if we see this thing through, and likely get a few rings because of it. Games like yesterday are part of the growth, as grumpy as that makes us on a week-to-week level.
Update - 2/15/23
Brett Veach lifts up the Lombardi Trophy, as he says, "This is what a rebuilding year looks like in Kansas City."
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
I think the DT room next year is Jones and bupkis, is it not? I think we still have Wharton but he's less of a DT and more of a situational interior rusher (parsing worse a bit there, I know).
Nnadi and Saunders are both FAs.
We do have some cap space next year so we can retain some of the guys we may otherwise lose, but yeah - the roster as it stands next season is awfully thin. And even after Clark is cut, we'll be around $30 million in cap space w/ about 5-6 starters still to sign (and another 20 or so guys to add to the roster even after accounting for draft picks).
Gonna probably need Jones to restructure to fill the holes we have to fill elsewhere. But yeah, we'll need another strong draft, preferably one that shades offense. Getting the offensive equivalent of McDuffie/Karlaftis would sure help a ton.
Overthecap has KC currently at $26.37 million in 2023 cap space with Clark netting us $19.6 million with a release. If that’s correct would put KC at around $46 million in cap space to start with. [Reply]
It's not gonna be an easy offseason. We BADLY need these young guys to develop.
And some of them (most of them?) surely will. But we will have to continue to draft well and develop over the next few seasons. Plenty of people here (not saying you) refuse to even acknowledge the possibility (probability?) that the Chiefs are going to spend a few years as a good, always gonna be good with #15 around, but not necessarily a great team. Lots of folks around have a tendency to put us down for 12 wins minimum and a deep playoff run "because Mahomes". Well, those benchmarks will always be possible but those are lofty expectations in a league that strives for parody (other than ****ing Brady). That's not even including variables like the schedule, which was brutal before the season and has somehow gotten tougher thanks to the Jags being good. If the Chiefs win 10 games this year, it should be considered a great accomplishment. [Reply]
Does anybody think this team is in danger of not making the playoffs at all? I really don't.
.
Not really. However, I do expect 4-6 more losses (obviously would love to be wrong) just due to the brutality of the schedule. However, I think 10-7 gets us in the tournament (hell, it may win the division which is looking really overrated as a whole), so no, I don't think we miss the playoffs. [Reply]
Originally Posted by OKchiefs:
Overthecap has KC currently at $26.37 million in 2023 cap space with Clark netting us $19.6 million with a release. If that’s correct would put KC at around $46 million in cap space to start with.
Spotrac shows $18 million before Clark's release.
But you're right - I had $10 million in my head for Clark and forgot it was actually around $20 million. So $40 million in space rather than $30 million.
And I'll listen if you can show me where OvertheCap gets their figures, but I've used Spotrac for years and they've never steered me wrong. I wonder if it's a disconnect in how they're treating incentives and/or rollover money.
But remember - everything is relative in FA and most teams are going to have a guy they're obviously cutting who will free up space. Now not THAT much, but some. So do I think the Chiefs can/will end up near the top 10ish in available cap space when all is said and done? Yeah - that seems about right.
Does that mean they can go spending like sailors on leave? Not at all. And frankly, last time we did that we mostly set that money on fire anyway.
It's rarely wise to try to spend your way through a problem. [Reply]
Originally Posted by New World Order:
I dunno about a rebuilding year. We have WR vets and our star TE is about to turn 33
Well I think the goal was to kind of rebuild or whatever, on the fly. Hope to catch JuJu super motivated for a long term deal, hope to unlock that MVS was underused and ignored, etc. So far, it's been okay. Just because we should be 3-0, doesn't mean 2-1 sucks. But we're gonna need a lot of things to get better quickly as we get to this meat of the schedule. Including JuJu stepping up and MVS not being a broke man's Alvin Harper. Much better line play would help also. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
Spotrac shows $18 million before Clark's release.
But you're right - I had $10 million in my head for Clark and forgot it was actually around $20 million. So $40 million in space rather than $30 million.
And I'll listen if you can show me where OvertheCap gets their figures, but I've used Spotrac for years and they've never steered me wrong. I wonder if it's a disconnect in how they're treating incentives and/or rollover money.
But remember - everything is relative in FA and most teams are going to have a guy they're obviously cutting who will free up space. Now not THAT much, but some. So do I think the Chiefs can/will end up near the top 10ish in available cap space when all is said and done? Yeah - that seems about right.
Does that mean they can go spending like sailors on leave? Not at all. And frankly, last time we did that we mostly set that money on fire anyway.
It's rarely wise to try to spend your way through a problem.
Don't you have to take Clark's dead cap money into account? Meaning we save $9M, not $19M. [Reply]
Originally Posted by htismaqe:
Don't you have to take Clark's dead cap money into account? Meaning we save $9M, not $19M.
I don’t think that’s how it works. His total cap number next year is $28.675 million. If released we save $19.6 million of that, the remaining $9.075 million is dead money unless they spread it over 2 years. [Reply]