The first player the Kansas City Chiefs agreed to terms with on March 10 — which was the first day the legal tampering window for free agency opened — was offensive tackle Jaylon Moore. But according to Nate Taylor of The Athletic, Moore was not Kansas City’s first choice to fill their void at left tackle.
“The Chiefs’ initial plan for free agency was to try to convince veteran left tackle Ronnie Stanley to leave the Baltimore Ravens,” Taylor wrote on March 10. “Stanley, however, re-signed with the Ravens, forcing the Chiefs to pivot to acquiring Moore, whom they see as an underrated and ascending player.”
Stanley, 30, signed a three-year, $60 million deal with Baltimore on March 8, which took him off the market before the legal tampering window opened. That’s why Kansas City ended up signing Moore, who they view as someone who has not reached their peak yet.
“The Chiefs are optimistic that Moore is ready for such an increase in responsibility after he was a four-year understudy behind Trent Williams, one of the league’s best left tackle,” Taylor continued. “In the past two seasons, Moore has played 279 pass-blocking snaps and has allowed just two sacks.”
The addition of Moore — who signed a two-year, $30 million deal with the Chiefs — nearly solidifies Kansas City’s starting offensive line for the 2025 season. Second-year offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia is expected to become the new starting left guard now that Joe Thuney was traded to the Chicago Bears. Starting right guard Trey Smith is under contract for the 2025 season due to being franchise tagged, but the team needs to get a long-term deal in place with him to ensure they aren’t cap-strapped for the remainder of the offseason.
Nate Taylor Explains How Chiefs Can Free Up Cap Space
Along with a long-term deal for Smith, there are several other ways the Chiefs — who were $9 million over the cap as of Monday — can free up cap space by restructuring some of their player contracts. Taylor went into detail about how Kansas City can become cap compliant by Wednesday’s 3 p.m. Central Time deadline.
“The easiest way the Chiefs can get under the cap is to convert most of the $32.3 million in Mahomes’s contract to a signing bonus. The team can do the same with pass rusher Chris Jones ($15 million roster bonus) and tight end Travis Kelce ($12.5 million),” Taylor wrote.
Expect the Chiefs to make one or more of those types of cap-maneuvering moves on Tuesday and/or Wednesday.
X Users Reacted to Jaylon Moore Signing
Users on X, formerly Twitter, reacted to Moore agreeing to a two-year deal with the Chiefs.
“Just watched every snap of Jaylon Moore’s 2024 season. KC is definitely banking on his development to continue, but he does not lose many reps,” Caleb James of Arrowhead Pride wrote. “Still work to be done, but this is a good start for solidifying the offensive line.”
“[Former] 9ers OT Jaylon Moore has never played more than 260 offensive snaps in a single year and has only started 12 games in 4 years,” another person wrote. “I know what his PFF grades look like but it feels like you’re taking a huge leap if you’re signing him to be your starting LT.”
