Chiefs Finalize Financials of 5 Long-Term Contracts: Report

The Kansas City Chiefs took care of some important housekeeping on May 16, announcing the official signings of five members of the 2023 draft class.

The Chiefs social media team dropped the news on Twitter with the caption: “Officially inked ✍️.” An accompanying photo revealed that OT Wanya Morris, DB Chamarri Conner, DE BJ Thompson, DT Keondre Coburn and DB Nic Jones had all come to terms on a long-term deal.

That leaves first-round pass rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah and second-round wide receiver Rashee Rice as the only two 2023 selections yet to sign their first NFL contract.

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Spotrac Reports Financial Details of Each Chiefs Rookie Signing

For those interested in seeing the financial details behind these rookie agreements, Spotrac has you covered with reported contract figures for each.

Wanya Morris Terms: 4 years, $5,368,357.

• $750,000 base salary in 2023.
• $904,260 in guaranteed money.
• $1,342,089 average annual salary.
• $904,260 signing bonus.
• Dead cap hits: $904,260 (2023), $678,195 (2024), $452,130 (2025), $226,065 (2026).

Chamarri Conner Terms: 4 years, $4,591,368.

• $750,000 base salary in 2023.
• $751,368 in guaranteed money.
• $1,147,842 average annual salary.
• $751,368 signing bonus.
• Dead cap hits: $751,368 (2023), $563,526 (2024), $375,684 (2025), $187,842 (2026).

BJ Thompson Terms: 4 years, $4,111,652.

• $750,000 base salary in 2023.
• $271,652 in guaranteed money.
• $1,027,913 average annual salary.
• $271,652 signing bonus.
• Dead cap hits: $271,652 (2023), $203,739 (2024), $135,826 (2025), $67,913 (2026).

Keondre Coburn Terms: 4 years, $4,016,616.

• $750,000 base salary in 2023.
• $176,616 in guaranteed money.
• $1,004,154 average annual salary.
• $176,616 signing bonus.
• Dead cap hits: $176,616 (2023), $132,462 (2024), $88,308 (2025), $44,154 (2026).

Nic Jones Terms: 4 years, $3,917,776.

• $750,000 base salary in 2023.
• $77,776 in guaranteed money.
• $979,444 average annual salary.
• $77,776 signing bonus.
• Dead cap hits: $77,776 (2023), $58,332 (2024), $38,888 (2025), $19,444 (2026).

You may have noticed that late-round picks like Coburn and Jones actually earned less guaranteed money than a few of the Chiefs UDFA signings in 2023 — so it doesn’t always pay to be drafted.

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Chiefs Draft Classes Continue to Overhaul the Defense

Kansas City targeted the defensive side of the ball pretty heavily for the second-straight offseason in 2023. The headliners are obviously Anudike-Uzomah — another first-round edge rusher to pair with George Karlaftis for the foreseeable future — and Conner in terms of draft status.

The latter is an intriguing prospect that has mostly mixed in at safety so far in practice despite bearing some similarities to veteran nickel CB L’Jarius Sneed. Chiefs Digest reporter Matt Derrick scouted the Swiss Army Knife defender on April 29, tweeting: “Chamarri Conner is a versatile defensive back, played both corner and safety at Virginia Tech. The other huge upside — played 802 special teams snaps in college. I’ll bet [ST coordinator] Dave Toub is the happiest guy in the building right now.”

Along with “FAU” and Conner, you add potential draft steals in Coburn and Jones. Both have gained early recognition from analysts as prospects that can outperform their pick number, and some even believe the Texas D-lineman can have an immediate impact at nose tackle.

The most mysterious prospect in this group of reinforcements is probably Thompson, who was quickly labeled as another pass rusher after some listed him at linebacker. The Chiefs appear to be developing the new D-end at a more conservative rate than others, with private workouts and some bulking in the weight room.

It could take some time to turn Thompson into an NFL contributor, but his athleticism and his raw traits are off the charts. The Chiefs will bet on their coaching here, as they’ve done in the past.

Similarly, Morris could be a work in progress on the offensive side of the ball. Although some believed the Oklahoma blocker could have started day one, most have him sitting to begin his NFL career. At the offensive tackle position, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

“Morris is an athletic pass-setter with a strong inside hand but lacks a desired level of core strength to effectively push back against rush bullies,” NFL Network draft expert Lance Zierlein scouted ahead of the draft. “He’s very average at getting to positioning for back-side cut-off blocks in the run game and struggles to stay connected to sustain blocks due to inconsistent hand placement and drive strength in his lower half. His physical profile and experience starting at both tackle spots should give him a leg up in a camp battle for a swing tackle role.”

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