The Chiefs made a good deal for Drue Tranquill in 2023

Mar 25, 2023 - 1:30 PM

A week ago Friday, the Kansas City Chiefs signed free-agent linebacker Drue Tranquill to a one-year contract.

The deal was initially reported to be for $3 million, with incentives that could push the total compensation to $5 million.

We now have the complete details on Tranquill’s Kansas City contract.

His 2023 base salary will be $1.10 million, which is just above the NFL minimum for a player with the four credited seasons Edwards accumulated with the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chiefs have paid Tranquill a $1.44 million sighing bonus. He will also earn a $40,000 workout bonus if he participates in the voluntary parts of the team’s offseason program, which will begin April 17.

The contract also specifies that Tranquill will earn a per-game roster bonus of $30,000. If he appears in all 17 of Kansas City’s games this season — just as he did for Los Angeles in 2022 — that will total $510,000.

All of that adds up to a salary-cap impact of exactly $3 million this season.

We don’t know the precise nature of the $2 million in incentives that Tranquill could earn in Kansas City — except that they are considered not-likely-to-be-earned (NLTBE). So if they are earned this season, they will count against the 2024 salary cap.

Including all known signings, the Chiefs now have 61 players under contract. We estimate that the team has something between $3.6 and $5.5 million in cap space — but is very likely near $4.9 million.