Chiefs still have salary cap space after spending on Eric Berry, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif



NFL teams now know how much money they can spend this offseason.

On Wednesday, the NFL Players Association announced the 2017 salary cap will be a record $167 million, about $12 million more than in 2016.

Because of roughly $5 million in unused cap space in 2016 — which rolls over year to year — the Chiefs had about $9.59 million in salary cap space before signing safety Eric Berry and guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to contract extensions, according to OverTheCap.com.

Together, the Berry and Duvernay-Tardif contracts leave the Chiefs with about $3.73 million in cap room, provided OverTheCap.com’s original projections were correct. Every team must be under the salary cap by 3 p.m. March 9.

The 2017 cap numbers for Berry and Duvernay-Tardif now total roughly $7.69 million in 2017, a source with knowledge of the contracts told The Star.

Berry agreed to a six-year, $78 million extension on Tuesday — which includes a $20 million signing bonus, the most-ever given to a defensive back — while Duvernay-Tardif agreed to a five-year, $41.25 million extension.

Berry’s first-year cap number will be $5 million, the source said. His contract also includes a $100,000 workout bonus and a $900,000 base salary, in addition to a three-year cash flow of $42.5 million.

Duvernay-Tardif’s first-year cap number will be about $2.69 million, the source said. His contract includes a $10 million signing bonus, but it only adds about $860,000 to the team’s 2017 salary cap because he was already scheduled to have a cap number of $1.86 million under his previous contract.

The Chiefs can also clear another $6.75 million in cap space by turning down backup quarterback Nick Foles’ contract option, which is likely. That still wouldn’t be enough to franchise tag nose tackle Dontari Poe, who is unlikely to receive a $13 million franchise tender by Wednesday’s 3 p.m. deadline.