Kansas City, MO – November 30, 2025
The Chiefs are staring down one of their most unsettling seasons in recent memory. Their nine-year reign over the AFC West is slipping, the standings have tightened, and a 6–6 record has left Kansas City fighting simply to stay afloat. With Denver rolling at 9–2 and Los Angeles close behind at 7–4, the margin for error has all but vanished as December arrives.Complicating everything is the financial storm waiting on the other side of the calendar. Kansas City is projected to have the least effective cap space in the NFL for 2026
, carrying a deficit of nearly 60 million dollars that must be cleared before the new league year. That reality guarantees tough decisions. Veteran contracts will be reviewed, performance weighed against cost, and longstanding starters could find themselves vulnerable for the first time.
One of those players is Jawaan Taylor. His name sits squarely in the middle of Kansas City’s looming cap crisis. Taylor signed a four-year, 80 million dollar deal in 2023 with expectations of becoming a long-term cornerstone on the offensive line. But his 2025 season has been marked by inconsistency, penalties, and criticism from evaluators frustrated by the drop in play.
Analyst Logan Ulrich of NFL Trade Rumors highlighted the financial logic behind a potential separation. Releasing Taylor would save roughly 20 million dollars, eliminating nearly a third of the Chiefs’ projected deficit in one move.
“With Kansas City’s cap situation and Jaylon Moore being paid 15 million a year to be a swing tackle, it feels probable Taylor will be chopped,” Ulrich wrote. It is a cold calculation, but one the front office may have no choice but to consider.
Taylor’s performance has only intensified the discussion. Through twelve games his PFF grade sits at a concerning 53.3, ranking 72nd out of 80 qualified tackles. He leads all tackles with thirteen penalties and has allowed three sacks — costly mistakes for a team built around protecting Patrick Mahomes and sustaining explosive drives. The structure of his contract includes an out that makes a release financially viable, which only adds to the mounting speculation.
Kansas City may not need to search far for an answer if they move on. Jaylon Moore, signed last offseason, has already been paid like a near-starter and could step into the role immediately. Given the Chiefs’ financial strain, Moore’s emergence could accelerate the transition.
A season that began with championship expectations has now become a reckoning — on the field and on the books. And as the Chiefs push through the final stretch of 2025, the question is no longer whether changes are coming, but how many.
