The Kansas City Chiefs believed in Josh Simmons enough to invest their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft in him. However, that's not the only commitment to the rookie. The Chiefs are also sinking a solid amount of Clark Hunt's money to employ the offensive tackle.
At No. 31 overall, Spotrac has the Chiefs' first-round choice slotted at a four-year contract worth up to $14.884 million. That includes a signing bonus of just under $7.5 million and computes to an average annual value of $3.72 million.
That said, if Simmons turns into a long-term answer, it's also a massive financial win for the Chiefs.
Josh Simmons made a lot of money as a first-round pick, but it's also a potentially big financial win for the Chiefs.
This offseason, the cost of business to acquire even an average yet reliable left tackle escalated considerably. The Tennessee Titans handed Dan Moore more than $20 million per season on a four-year deal in free agency, a major reward for the former Pittsburgh Steelers lineman who graded out as the 42nd best tackle last season per Pro Football Focus.
The Chiefs even gave Jaylon Moore a $30 million deal over two seasons to provide a potential answer at left tackle before drafting Simmons. Yet Moore is essentially a rookie himself given the amount of starting reps he's actually played. Again, the totals are quite high here.
For the Chiefs to have Simmons making less than $15M over the span of four seasons makes him a potential steal at a premium position.
What makes things even better is that Simmons is also a candidate to have his fifth-year option picked up in 2029. While those specific contractual values won't be known for quite some time, the collective bargaining agreement makes it clear that those totals will always provide a discount for the team even as the player gets a significant raise.
In short, the Chiefs' selection of Josh Simmons in the first round doesn't just provide high hopes for elevated play at offensive tackle after years of trying to find answers. It could also pay off financially for a team with considerable commitments to superstar players on the books.
