The Kansas City Chiefs have a number of decisions to make this offseason once the partying from their Super Bowl LIV title subsides. First and foremost will be the mega-contract extension for Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, then they'll have to look at possibly franchising star defensive tackle Chris Jones, and somewhere down the line, the status of wide receiver Sammy Watkins will come into question.
According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the team does want him back, but his future in Kansas City will really be determined through his contract. He's currently under team control for the 2020 season, but has a potential out that would clear $14 million in cap space. If they were to keep him under the terms of his current deal in 2020, he'll account for $21 million against the cap. That number is simply too high for the Kansas City to swallow heading into 2020, especially with the Mahomes extension on the horizon.
The Chiefs currently rank in the lower third of the league in Spotrac's projected salary cap space heading into 2020 with a little under $19 million to spend.
Watkins didn't totally rule out the possibility of taking a pay cut to remain with the Chiefs, but he also noted that he could possibly sit out the 2020 season as well. Needless to say, it'd be wise for Kansas City, from the team's perspective, to clear cap space and allow the 26-year-old to make his decision after that.
The former first-round pick of the Buffalo Bills back in 2014 has been in Kansas City for the past two seasons and has been a solid option for Patrick Mahomes. Over the course of the regular season in 2019, Watkins caught 52 of his 90 targets for 673 yards and three touchdowns. He did come up clutch throughout their run to a Super Bowl LIV title, totaling 288 yards and a touchdown through three games.
