The Kansas City Chiefs are focused on the 2024 NFL free agency period, but they also learned something important about their future negotiations with a key offensive player.
In 2025, Creed Humphrey will be up for a contract extension. The former second-round draft pick will enter the final year of his rookie deal during the 2024 NFL season. Historically speaking, the center position has been the lesser-paid spot on the interior offensive line, but a new bar has been set that the Chiefs will likely need to clear to retain Humphrey.
The Tennessee Titans signed former Denver Broncos C Lloyd Cushenberry to a four-year deal worth $50 million on Monday. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the deal sets numerous records for the center position. That includes records for signing bonus (over $18M), full guarantee ($26M), and first-year cash ($20M).
A deal for Humphrey will almost certainly have to exceed these benchmark numbers that Cushenberry received from Tennessee. Humphrey has all the accolades as a two-time Super Bowl champion, two-time Pro Bowler, and one-time Second-Team All-Pro. That doesn't even include the quest for a three-peat in the 2024 NFL season. Cushenberry, on the other hand, has never achieved any of those items during his career. That's not to say he's a bad player, but a contract for Humphrey will likely reflect that.
Of course, Humphrey will have to clean up his snapping issues moving forward for Kansas City to feel comfortable in a long-term investment. Andy Reid is confident that Humphrey will be able to do that.
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