When you sit back and realize that 2014 was always going to be a difficult year for the Chiefs because of the draft and the FAs we lost its amazing that we are 6-3 and control our own destiny as far as getting into the playoffs go.

I think we can all admit that something is working extremely well in KC.

First, it's coaching. Not just Reid but the entire staff that he brought with him. Just a few years ago it seemed like we had a coaching staff of four, and our HC wouldn't let the OC coach. Now we probably need to charter a second plane just to transport our coaching staff. It's insane, but awesome.

Second, the front office has been outstanding in finding players that fit the system and could replace many of the guys we lost. 2015 will be the first year that Dorsey and his staff can really approach the draft trying to find the best player possible. I'm excited to see what they do.

No, it would have been going from one bad decision to another

No wonder he picked his game up. Contract year.

LOL whatever. He's 25. These are they guys you keep.

The coaching has been excellent. But let's not forget that with a pile of shit QB carousel under Pioli, we still managed a playoff game and were 1 win away from making the playoffs the following year. This team has always been a QB away from being competitive. Regardless of your opinion of Alex Smith, he's a legit NFL QB whereas Cassel, Quinn, and Palko definitely were not. It's just a shame that for 3 years, Pioli wasted 3 years of that window.

Incredible overpayment if you ask me. This makes him the 7th highest paid 3-4 DE in the NFL in terms of average cap hit per year. He'll be the 31st highest paid Defensive Lineman in the NFL overall in terms of average hit.

There are only fifteen 3-4 defenses, so 7th isn't that high. That list also includes several players in their rookie and final contracts
He is slotted right above DeVito and Tyson Jackson. That's about right
The per year average doesn't matter. The only thing we know is that $2.5M per year is guaranteed. It's possible that his contract includes a high base salary in his 4th year of the contract (which will be easy to cut, if he's no good)

If Tyson Jackson is worth $5M and Devito is worth $4M, Bailey sure as shit is worth $6M.

We both know Jackson isn't worth 5 M... In any event, the part I"m curious about is how backloaded the contract is as you mention. If it is, then I'm more satisfied. If it is at all top heavy, kiss a fan favorite's ass goodbye next season (Hali, Bowe, Berry, etc)

Also wanted to add that his minimum cap hit in 2015 will be around 3.5 million given his minimum base salary plus the bonus. This will affect some offseason plans.

Yeah, but look at the players slotted above and below Allen Bailey (not on rookie or veteran contract). Not a ton of impressive names.

The Chiefs can re-sign anyone they want to. This year was going to be hard. Next year will not be tough. There's plenty of ways to do it.

There's not that many ways to do it... I've talked about that quite a bit in the draft thread about the cap. There are options, but every one is a pick your poison scenario. Nothing changes the fact that KC has 20 free agents and nearly 10 million in cap space with the rollover and advance of the salary cap figured in. This move reduces that free agent total to 19, but easily drops the cap space to under 7 million. KC still has to retain Houston. You can get there, but some names people like around here will roll.

If Bailey is worth $25 mil over 4 years to Dorsey, what is Houston worth?

Nothing short of 6y/86mil if you ask me

The 25 million dollar number is dressing, the guaranteed money is all that matters.

$10M in cap increase
Walker, Devito, Daniel, Fasano, Mays... a pool of $12-15M to draw from
Hali can be cut or restructured, saving you up to $12M

Big contracts like Berry's or Houston's can be handled through a large signing bonus with a year 2 or 3 roster bonus kicker, and an almost zero dollar base salary in year 1. It's a way to defer your cap hit to later years. The Chiefs would be more than happy to make these kinds of investments knowing that Bowe, Hali, and Sean Smith's large contracts will probably be off the books in 2-3 years.

The Chiefs can easily sign anyone they want. Thank goodness they spent this year cleaning their cap vs. listening to fans who wanted to dump a bunch of money on expensive players like Byrd and Desean Jackson.