Although he turned 34 years old earlier this offseason and plays a position that isn't known for having a particularly long shelf life, Carlos Dunlap still wants to continue his football career following a Super Bowl-winning 2022-23 campaign with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Dunlap, who has played 13 seasons in the NFL already, is coming off a year in which he collected four regular-season sacks for Kansas City and also amassed 39 combined tackles in the process. The veteran defensive end broke up five passes at or near the line of scrimmage and recorded six tackles for loss with 12 overall quarterback hits as well, then proceeded to have a solid playoff run and get his first experience on a team that won in the postseason. Dunlap played 39 defensive snaps (52% of those available) in the Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles, cementing his legacy by checking off one final box: champion.
This offseason, Dunlap has yet to sign with a team despite his desire to keep playing. In an exclusive interview with Forbes, the former second-round pick said he's been in contact with a couple of franchises but has yet to receive a formal offer from one. A return to the Chiefs isn't out of the question, though, and Jeff Fedotin's article contains a quote from Dunlap that singles out Kansas City as a potential option:
“I can help another team get one of their own or help the Chiefs again,” Dunlap exclusively shared. “The Chiefs haven’t ruled that out, but currently it’s a waiting game.”
Dunlap waited quite a while to sign last offseason, joining the team near the end of July. His interview with Forbes indicates that a similar timeline could take shape this time around as well, especially when the context of his career is factored in. Some aging veterans near the end of their NFL tenures don't want to go through the rigamarole of a full offseason and instead would rather hit the ground running for all of most of training camp and the preseason. For Dunlap's purposes, that all tracks if it's indeed the path he wants to take.
While he isn't the same force he once was with the Cincinnati Bengals, Dunlap still has plenty to offer an organization other than just being a good veteran presence and locker room mentor. According to Pro Football Focus, he recorded 32 total pressures in 377 pass-rushing snaps. That 8.5% pressure rate doesn't quite rival the figures he's posted in recent years, but it remains a respectable clip considering his pass-swatting and run-stuffing abilities.
Dunlap elaborated on a possible Chiefs reunion, praising the franchise for putting him in a winning environment at the highest level:
“The Chiefs obviously have a special spot for me because they were the first team to help me win a playoff game and to win a Super Bowl,” Dunlap said. “So that would be a great opportunity.”
In terms of what Kansas City can offer Dunlap right now, there isn't much to be had. The NFLPA's public salary cap report (for the day this article was published) lists the Chiefs at just over $1 million in available cap space, although a Chris Jones extension within the next month or so could make that figure jump by a fairly significant amount. If that does occur, perhaps both the Chiefs and Dunlap decide that one more year together makes sense. With there being room in the defensive end rotation for someone of his caliber and experience, the interest from his side makes a ton of sense. Time will tell if it manifests into anything greater.
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