Jaylon Moore could make Jawaan Taylor the NFL's highest-paid backup

The Kansas City Chiefs made headlines this offseason when they signed free agent offensive tackle Jaylon Moore to a two-year, $30 million contract. In a year where most of K.C.'s moves involved re-signing their own guys, Moore was the biggest acquisition of the offseason.

While it was widely viewed as a steep price tag for a player with limited starts under his belt, Moore was one of just a few options on the market to potentially fill the Chiefs’ open left tackle job.

Just a month after Moore's signing, the Chiefs would again make headlines by adding to their offensive line, drafting Ohio State's Josh Simmons with the last pick of the first round. The talented Simmons slid because of a major knee injury he suffered last season, but when camp opened on Tuesday, Simmons was already on the field and running with the first-string unit at left tackle. The same couldn't be said for Jawaan Taylor, Kansas City's starting right tackle, who opened camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list.

While the Moore signing was initially viewed as a potential solution to KC's left tackle issues, the combination of Simmons looking healthy and Taylor starting camp on the PUP list has changed things. While Simmons may have opened camp with the starters at left tackle, Moore was also running with the starters on the right side.

Obviously, we will likely see the Chiefs shuffle around where guys are throughout camp to get different looks, but it is worth noting that this was the first group they put out.

Camp circumstances could push Jawaan Taylor into a shocking new role—as the NFL’s highest-paid backup.

The Chiefs do have Wanya Morris, who has played mostly tackle, and could have filled in for Taylor on the right side if they wanted Moore to focus on the left. Instead, they gave their free-agent addition the first snaps of camp at right tackle. Moore looked good last season in his five starts filling in for Trent Williams in San Francisco. If he looks equally good on the right side in camp, that could be bad news for Jawaan Taylor.

Taylor has had a rocky time since signing a big-money deal in free agency to come to Kansas City. When Taylor signed his four-year, $80 million deal with the Chiefs, many thought he would move to the left side (largely because of how much he was making). Instead, the Chiefs decided to keep him where he was comfortable and successful in Jacksonville. However, despite staying on the right side, the NFL's crackdown on offensive linemen lining up too far back and trying to time the snap really threw off Taylor's game, and he quickly became one of the NFL's most penalized linemen.

It’s not just the penalties, though. Taylor’s actual play hasn’t justified his contract either. So there is a real chance that if Jaylon Moore looks good at right tackle during camp and the preseason, and Simmons really is good to start from day one on the left side, Taylor could find himself as the NFL's highest-paid backup.

Let me be clear: when I say "highest-paid backup," I mean it. That's not hyperbole, and I'm not just talking about offensive tackles either. In case you weren't aware, Jawaan Taylor has a cap hit this season of about $27.4 million. That's the second-highest on the Chiefs, just $670K behind Patrick Mahomes. His cap hit is about $3.8 million more than Chris Jones' this season and about $7.6 million more than Travis Kelce's.

It gets worse.

Taylor actually has the 19th-highest cap hit in the entire NFL this season. He has the second-highest cap hit for an offensive lineman, behind only Taylor Moton of Carolina, and the fifth-highest cap hit of any non-quarterback. So when I say that he'll be the NFL's highest-paid backup if Jaylon Moore beats him out for the starting right tackle job, I really mean it.

It doesn't make any sense to cut Taylor if he loses the job either. His money is fully guaranteed this season, so the Chiefs wouldn't create a single dollar of cap space by releasing him. Some may argue that KC might feel obligated to start him because of his contract, but I'd argue the opposite. I think if Moore looks better (or even just as good), there is more incentive to play Moore because of Taylor's contract. Let me explain.

The Chiefs can't save any money by releasing Taylor this season, but they can save $20 million next season if they release him in the 2026 offseason. Meanwhile, Moore is under contract through 2026 with over 50% of his contract for next season guaranteed. So Moore is the player who is much more likely to be a Chief next season. It would benefit the Chiefs going forward if Moore earned the job and gained experience this season. The Chiefs want the best player playing, so it will ultimately be decided on the field—but Taylor's contract isn't going to get him the job.

Brett Veach deserves a ton of praise for the roster he's built, the deals he's gotten done, and the championships he's helped bring to Kansas City. However, the Jawaan Taylor contract is not going to make his "career highlights" list. At the end of the day, Chiefs fans just want Patrick Mahomes to be protected at all costs. If Jawaan Taylor is their best option, fine. If Jaylon Moore is the best option, that's fine too. In fact, in the long term, it would be even better.