Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor (74) against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

One of the most wishy-washy offensive lineman in football is preparing for his exit from the former Super Bowl Champions.

The Chiefs needed to give Jawaan Taylor a player-friendly contract in order to sign him in 2023, when the former Jaguars right tackle stood as one of the top free agents available. While Kansas City achieved success during Taylor’s stay, the blocker has not lived up to the expectations given to him.

Taylor signed a four-year, $80MM contract with the Chiefs, but it has been all but pleasant since joining Kansas City.

Taylor has struggled mightily with penalties (40 in three Chiefs seasons), and he has also generated scrutiny for uncalled false starts. The Chiefs also have an in-house replacement in Jaylon Moore, who signed a two-year, $30MM contract.

Kansas City cutting Taylor is anticipated, per The Athletic’s Jesse Newell. Our Chiefs Offseason Outlook post pegged Taylor as the Chiefs’ most obvious cut candidate, and moving on would save Kansas City $20MM. The team did not tamper with Taylor’s contract, as void years would have increased the dead money total in a release (it stands at $7.39MM presently). With the Chiefs projected to be well over the cap, this move will almost definitely happen before the legal tampering period begins March 9.

While he played every snap in two Super Bowls for the Chiefs, winning one of them, Taylor is due to make $20 million in 2026 and the Chiefs are way over the cap as mentioned earlier, so he makes sense as one of their cuts. Also as stated before, he’s led them in penalties in each of his three years in Kansas City — 41 accepted penalties in all — and the Chiefs have invested draft picks in their line to get ahead of this. Could he follow offensive coordinator Matt Nagy to the Giants? Pro Football Focus ranked him 76th out of 80 tackles this past season.