The Kansas City Chiefs made a pair of minor moves in the last few days, resigning long snapper James Winchester while electing not to tender offensive lineman Mike Caliendo, according to reports written by Adam La Rose of ProFootballRumors.com.
Resigning Winchester is the more significant move, especially given his longevity with the team. He’s been with the Chiefs since 2015, and this will be his 12th campaign. The kicking game was a surprising issue in Kansas City last season, with kicker Harrison Butker leading the league in missed field goals, but this signing indicates that Winchester wasn’t part of the problem.
He’ll get a one-year deal that’s surprising generous for the role. According to Ian Rappaport of NFL Network, Winchester’s deal will be a one-year deal that’s guaranteed for $1.75 million. Long snappers typically play for the league minimum, so this contract is a nod to Winchester’s longevity and reliability, as he has yet to miss a single game in his career. The deal also makes Winchester the league’s highest-paid long snapper.
The decision to non-tender Caliendo is also significant, but for completely different reasons. The lineman has made 42 appearances for the Chiefs over three seasons, with seven of them being starts. Caliendo will have the option to re-sign with the Chiefs in the near season, or he can elect to enter free agency and see if he can land as a depth spot somewhere else.
The reason this is significant it because of upcoming changes in the offensive line. The Chiefs went young at offensive tackle last year, and they had mostly good luck with new left tackle Josh Simmons, their number one pick, who was drafted with a history of injury issues.
Simmons stayed healthy early on, but he did have to leave the team during season for personal reasons, and his absence hurt. The Chiefs just cut loose tackle Jaylon Moore, a move that will save them $20 million and this was one of several cap cutting moves that will allow the Chiefs to address multiple positions while accumulating more draft capital in the recent trade of cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams.
Another signing in the offensive line could be coming, and the Chiefs will almost certainly draft to improve the line, most likely in the later rounds. That would make it more difficult for Caliendo to catch on, so he has a tricky decision to make.