Kansas City Chiefs DE Alex Okafor Reportedly Agrees to Restructured Contract

Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Alex Okafor has reportedly agreed to a restructured contract that frees up cap space for the Chiefs in 2020 and makes Okafor a free agent in March, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Alex Okafor has reportedly agreed to a restructured contract that frees up cap space for the Chiefs in 2020 and makes Okafor a free agent in March, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

#Chiefs DE Alex Okafor signed a restructured contract recently that clears over $2 million off KC’s cap this year and makes Okafor a free agent next March, per source. He’s now due a max of $4.96M in 2020, including $860K in per-game roster bonuses and $2M in incentives.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 10, 2020

Okafor was previously set to have a $7.2 million cap hit in 2020, and by freeing up the $2 million reported by Pelissero, the Chiefs gain some flexibility to either spend the money this offseason or roll their extra cap space over to 2021, which could be a very uncertain season.

Okafor's 2021 contract structure already indicated that he would not be back with the Chiefs next year, as he carried a $7.95 million cap hit with $5.95 million in non-guaranteed base salary and bonuses, meaning that the Chiefs could have freed up roughly $6 million in cap space if they released him after 2020.

Okafor's 2021 dead cap hit of $2 million is from his $6 million signing bonus, prorated over three seasons. Okafor's $2 million in dead cap space in 2021 should still apply against the Chiefs' '21 books, but by restructuring the deal with $2 million in incentives, Okafor has a chance to earn close to his original 2020 cap number.

The Chiefs were not in a position to release Okafor outright this offseason, even if they had wanted to, as his dead cap hit would have been $6 million, freeing up only $1.2 million in space.

I assume the logic here is that Okafor had a 95% chance of being released/asked to restructure next offseason, so this removes the team's leverage. None of his new money was guaranteed, and his prorated signing bonus should be stuck at $2m in dead cap in 2021 regardless. https://t.co/Dn8RAWSITG

— Joshua Brisco (@jbbrisco) August 10, 2020

Okafor, who had his season cut short due to a torn pectoral muscle suffered against the Denver Broncos, is likely to start the 2020 season as one of the Chiefs' starting defensive ends, opposite Frank Clark. Tanoh Kpassagnon, Taco Charlton, Breeland Speaks, Demone Harris, Tershawn Wharton and Tim Ward fill out the depth chart as the Chiefs hope to exit training camp with some more solidified depth at defensive end.

Many Chiefs fans have noted that star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is still available as a free agent, and the Chiefs' depth at end leaves something to be desired. Chris Jones, Clark and Clowney on one defensive line would be a terrifying sight for opposing quarterbacks. With Okafor's deal restructured, Over The Cap lists the Chiefs with $13.9 million in salary cap space. If Clowney would entertain a one-year deal to rack up sacks and contend for a Super Bowl, both sides would find some common interests in that regard.

Should the Chiefs be the favorite to land Clowney? Probably not. Should anyone tell general manager Brett Veach that he can't make some more salary cap magic happen? I won't be the one to say so.