Chiefs rank top-10 in free agent spending in 2024

Tyler Greenawalt

Chiefs rank top-10 in free agent spending in 2024 image

Believe it or not, the Chiefs were one of the most lavish spenders in free agency this year.

Kansas City spent a little more than $200 million in free agency this offseason, which ranked No. 7 among all NFL teams according to Over The Cap. This is despite only signing 13 players in the first few weeks of the 2024 league year.

Now, the total dollar amount might be high, but most of that is tied up in defensive tackle Chris Jones' five-year, $158.75 million contract. Besides Jones, the Chiefs' only other relatively large deal was signed by linebacker Drue Tranquill.

Here's the Chiefs stack up against the rest of the NFL in free agency spending:

2024 NFL free agency spending

RANKTeamTotal ($)
1Titans307,152,500
2Panthers259,450,000
3Falcons244,062,500
4Giants225,100,000
5Patriots219,955,000
6Texans210,955,000
7Chiefs202,192,500
8Buccaneers189,640,000
9Colts186,340,000
10Washington176,611,000
11Raiders170,650,000
12Rams168,133,750
13Jaguars168,057,500
14Vikings157,730,000
15Cardinals147,295,000
16Eagles145,562,500
17Bears144,495,000
18Packers141,722,500
19Ravens139,330,000
20Seahawks130,945,000
21Dolphins109,632,500
22Bills95,145,000
23Steelers85,097,500
24Lions84,050,000
25Bengals73,617,500
2649ers72,617,500
27Jets72,375,000
28Broncos67,625,000
29Browns67,302,500
30Chargers44,547,500
31Saints29,795,000
32Cowboys11,130,000

Chiefs 2024 salary cap

Except for the Jones' extension, the Chiefs didn't spend too much money in free agency. That left KC with around $19.3 million in salary cap space for 2024, according to OTC.

Jones provided the biggest cap hit to the Chiefs this year with a whopping $26.9 million against the 2024 salary cap. The only player with a greater cap hit is quarterback Patrick Mahomes. This is likely why the Chiefs couldn't afford to keep cornerback L'Jarius Sneed and instead traded him to the Titans. Tennessee then handed Sneed the richest contract for his position that pays him $19.8 million annually — more than the Chiefs have in cap space.

Chiefs 2024 free agency moves

Again, the Chiefs mostly re-signed their own players as they pursue a third consecutive Super Bowl — led by Jones. Other 2023 stalwarts like Mike Danna, Due Tranquill and Clyde Edwards-Helaire were also re-signed.

The biggest offseason addition was quarterback Carson Wentz ... just kidding, it was wide receiver Marquise Brown, who signed a low-risk, high-record one-year, $7 million deal to become a top-3 pass-catching option for Mahomes.

PositionNameTransaction TypeTerms
IDLChris JonesRe-signed5 years, $158.75 million
EDGEMike DannaRe-signed3 years, $24 million
LBDrue TranquillRe-signed3 years, $19 million
WRMarquise BrownSigned1 year, $7 million
QBCarson WentzSigned1 year, $3.325 million
IDLTershawn WhartonRe-signed1 year, $2.742 million
IDLDerrick NnadiRe-signed1 year, $2 million
RBClyde Edwards-HelaireRe-signed1 year, $1.7 million
LSJames WinchesterRe-signed1 year, $1.377 million
SDeon BushRe-signed1 year, $1.377 million
TEIrv Smith Jr.Signed1 year, $1.292 million
IDLIsaiah BuggsRe-signed1 year, $1.292 million
IDLMike PennelRe-signed1 year, $1.21 million
IDLMatt DickersonRe-signed1 year, $1.125 million

Tyler Greenawalt

Tyler Greenawalt is a contributing writer for The Sporting News after stops at Yahoo Sports, USA Today Sports and Turner Sports. He's worked in written, video, social media and augmented reality content since he graduated from Syracuse University in 2014. His favorite teams — the New York Jets, Orlando Magic and Tottenham Hotspur — always find new and exciting ways to disappoint him, and he consistently questions his fandom. You can follow his bad sports takes at @Tagreenawalt on X.