The Kansas City Chiefs recently signed former first-round draft pick Taco Charlton on a one-year deal.
Charlton joined the Dallas Cowboys out of Michigan in the 2017 NFL Draft. He spent two lackluster seasons with Dallas before joining the Miami Dolphins in 2019. Charlton did better in Miami but was also released by the Dolphins, opening the door for his arrival in Kansas City.
Here’s a look at the base salary and cap numbers courtesy of OverTheCap:
| Year | Base Salary | Cap Hit | Dead Cap |
| 2020 | $825,000 | $825,000 | – |
What’s surprising here is that Charlton secured no guaranteed money in his deal. He was owed $1.8 million on the contract that lapsed when he passed through waivers unclaimed. So he’ll earn less than half of that, but only if he makes the Chiefs’ roster. He doesn’t have any signing bonus or bonus money down the line. He’s betting on himself to make the Kansas City roster even though his contract suggests he’s not a lock to do so.
At face value, this is a very low-risk signing for Kansas City with the potential for a high reward. If he performs and makes the 53-man roster, he won’t be very expensive and could earn a compensatory pick for the Chiefs when he becomes a free agent in 2021.
Charlton will be reunited with his former Michigan teammate Frank Clark on the Chiefs’ defensive line. Clark is someone that Charlton looked up to and learned from in college, so he’ll have someone to rely on who can help him learn the system in Kansas City.
