Just before the beginning of the new league year, the Kansas City Chiefs made an unexpected decision when they tendered cornerback Nazeeh Johnson and linebacker Jack Cochrane right-of-first-refusal restricted free agency (RFA) contract tenders.
Before these tenders were made, I predicted that the Chiefs would not tender any of their RFAs because of the $3.3 million price tag for even the lowest RFA tender amount. Given their level of play (and ample free-agency options who would be less expensive), tying up almost $7 million in cap space for Johnson and Cochrane seemed curious.
Johnson officially re-signed with the Chiefs on March 27 — but as it turns out, he will not earn $3.3 million in 2025.
According to the salary cap website Spotrac, Johnson’s base salary is now listed at $1.2 million — with $800,000 of it guaranteed — on top of a $400,000 signing bonus. The cornerback can also receive a $150,000 workout bonus and up to $200,000 in per-game active-roster bonuses.
This will allow him to earn up to $1.9 million this season. (His cap hit is actually about $12,000 less because he played in only 16 games last season, meaning the 17th game-day bonus is considered not likely to be earned).
The revised contract for Johnson lowers his 2025 salary cap charge by about $1.4 million.
Why would Johnson agree to a pay cut?
The full amount of his restricted free agency tender was non-guaranteed. Most observers of NFL contract minutiae realize that a player’s listed salary is meaningless without considering how much of it is guaranteed.
Johnson’s agent probably advised him that while the Chiefs value him as a reserve defensive back and special-teams performer, they would be unlikely to pay him the $3.3 million RFA salary; they could easily decide to make him a cap casualty before the season begins. For a player in this situation, a guaranteed $1.2 million — with an opportunity to earn another $700,000 — can be considered a better deal than $3.3 million in non-guaranteed money.
This is exactly what happened with Kansas City offensive lineman Andrew Wylie in 2021 after the Chiefs gave him an RFA contract tender.
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Cochrane is still listed on Spotrac with the $3.3 million RFA tender. He may also be encouraged to accept a reduced salary with a portion of it guaranteed. The Chiefs, however, probably want to assess his recovery from a late-season broken ankle before guaranteeing any of his 2025 compensation.
Defensive end Malik Herring avoided this RFA drama by agreeing to a one-year contract before the deadline. Herring is set to earn $1.7 million — with $800,000 guaranteed.
Cornerback Keith Taylor and tight end Peyton Hendershot also didn’t receive RFA tenders. Taylor signed with the Carolina Panthers, while Hendershot remains a free agent.
With Johnson’s adjusted cap hit, we now estimate the Chiefs’ salary cap space to be about $12.8 million.
