Report: New Contract Details Clarify Chiefs’ Current Salary Cap Space

Report: New Contract Details Clarify Chiefs’ Current Salary Cap Space

 

As of Wednesday, the contract details for eight newly signed Kansas City Chiefs players remained unknown, making it difficult to determine the team’s current salary cap space.

However, Spotrac has now provided details for four of those contracts—quarterback Gardner Minshew, running back Kareem Hunt, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, and defensive tackle Jerry Tillery—giving us a clearer picture of the Chiefs’ financial position.

Breaking Down the Contracts

Gardner Minshew
Minshew’s contract details were largely as expected. Under the two-year, $25 million deal he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders last season, he was guaranteed $3.2 million in salary for 2025. As a result, Kansas City was able to sign him for the NFL minimum salary of $1.1 million, while the Raiders remain responsible for the $3.2 million they had previously committed.

Some NFL contracts include offset clauses that reduce the original team’s cap hit if the player signs elsewhere. However, according to Spotrac, Las Vegas will still be on the hook for the full $3.2 million, plus an additional $4.5 million in dead money from Minshew’s original signing bonus.

Kareem Hunt
Our initial estimate for Hunt’s one-year contract was a $1.5 million cap hit, which has proven to be fairly accurate.

Per Spotrac, Hunt’s deal includes:

• A base salary of $1.3 million

• A $110,000 signing bonus

• A $35,000 workout bonus

• Up to $100,000 in per-game roster bonuses

Since he was active for 14 games last season, approximately $82,000 of those roster bonuses will count as likely-to-be-earned (LTBE) for 2025. This brings Hunt’s total cap hit to just under $1.5 million.

$740,000 of Hunt’s salary is guaranteed. If he is released, the contract will still count for $850,000 against the cap.

JuJu Smith-Schuster
Before Wednesday, we estimated Smith-Schuster’s 2025 cap hit at $1.5 million. However, new details reveal his contract falls under the Veteran Salary Benefit (VSB).

Under this structure, he will earn:

• A $1.3 million base salary

• A $168,000 signing bonus

Despite these figures, his contract will only count as $1.2 million against the cap—the same as a player with just two credited seasons earning the same signing bonus.

Jerry Tillery
Tillery’s contract was the most challenging to estimate. We projected his cap hit to fall between $1.5 million and $2.5 million, with a likely figure closer to $1.5 million.

New information shows that his deal consists of:

• A $1.2 million base salary

• A $620,000 signing bonus

This results in a cap hit of $1.8 million for the 2025 season.

Updated Salary Cap Estimate

With these contract details in hand, Spotrac now lists Kansas City’s available cap space at $14.1 million. However, this calculation does not yet include the contracts for defensive tackles Marlon Tuipulotu and Mike Pennell, cornerback Robert Rochell, and defensive end Charles Omenihu.

We anticipate that Tuipulotu, Pennell, and Rochell will have little to no impact on the available cap space. However, we estimate Omenihu’s cap hit will range between $2.5 million and $5 million—most likely around $4.5 million.

As a result, our updated estimate for the Chiefs’ cap space falls between $10.1 million and $13.1 million, with the most likely figure being approximately $10.8 million.