Just one week removed from a Super Bowl victory, it seems early to start talking about the Kansas City Chiefs' future. However, the NFL never sleeps, and general manager Brett Veach is always looking ahead.
One area of improvement Kansas City will need to address in 2024 is the wide receiver position, one that underperformed for the majority of 2023. The Chiefs could look toward the NFL Draft to fill any gaps there, or go after some of the top receivers projected to hit free agency.
WRs expected to hit free agency next month include Bengals' Tee Higgins, Colts' Michael Pittman Jr., Buccaneers' Mike Evans and Cardinals' Marquise Brown, among others. However, there are a few cut candidates around the league that would make sense for K.C.
One of the most notable potential cap casualties is Seattle Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett. He's locked up in Seattle for two more years, but the Seahawks could designate him as a post-June 1 cut and save $17 million. That's a lot of dough for a receiver who will turn 32 during the 2024 season.
If Seattle goes through with releasing Lockett, there's probably no better landing spot for him than in K.C. Lockett played college football at Kansas State, so it would be sort of a homecoming for him to return to the area.
Not only that, but Lockett could provide some veteran leadership in the Chiefs' receiver room and be a reliable target for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Despite his age, Lockett clearly still has plenty of juice left, earning 894 yards and five touchdowns last season. Lockett also had at least 1,000 yards from scrimmage in 2018 through 2022, so he's super consistent.
Above all, Lockett could take the load off of tight end Travis Kelce and receiver Rashee Rice, opening things up for those guys and making the Chiefs' offense better overall. Lockett would provide a tremendous deep threat for the Chiefs, something they lacked in 2023.
The biggest hurdle for the Chiefs picking up a guy like Lockett would be the salary cap. Lockett could probably draw around $11 million per year on the open market. The Chiefs might be able to afford that depending on how things shake out with their other free agents. Of course, a different team could end up paying Lockett more than that, but he may consider going to K.C. for his best chance of earning a ring.
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