New Chiefs Trade Rumors on OT Jawaan Taylor and Potential Impact on Salary Cap

The Kansas City Chiefs reportedly are on the verge of parting ways with one of their top offensive linemen in a cost-cutting move.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Monday that the Chiefs informed offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor that he will be released before the start of the new league year, barring a trade. Releasing Taylor reportedly will save the Chiefs $20 million against the salary cap.

Taylor was entering the final season of the four-year, $80 million contract that he signed with Kansas City in 2023. In his first year with the Chiefs, he won his first career Super Bowl title when they defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.

In his three seasons in Kansas City, Taylor started all 45 of his appearances while primarily playing right tackle. Per Pro Football Reference, he had 40 accepted penalties during his tenure with the Chiefs.

This marks the latest move made by Kansas City to improve the team's salary cap health. As ESPN pointed out, the Chiefs already released veteran defensive end Mike Danna and restructured quarterback Patrick Mahomes' contract last month, which combined to save them nearly $53 million against the cap.

Kansas City needed to improve its financial standing after entering the offseason more than $57 million above the salary cap. The team needs to be under the cap by the start of the new league year on March 11, so ESPN noted that veterans like linebacker Drue Tranquill and tight end Noah Gray are also candidates to be released in the coming days.

After missing the playoffs in 2025, the Chiefs are surely looking to return to title contention during the upcoming season, but it's clear that they will have a lot of tough decisions in free agency as they try to revamp their roster.