With just days until the start of the NFL’s legal tampering period and free agency, the Kansas City Chiefs brought back one of their own slated free agents. Linebacker Drue Tranquill is returning on a multiyear deal, which was reported late on Thursday night.
It’s a three-year pact for Tranquill, who played a significant role in the success of the Kansas City defense this past season. The total value is $19 million, with $12.5M being guaranteed and $4.5M serving as a signing bonus. On Friday morning, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston reported the full details of the deal.
How does Drue Tranquill’s new Chiefs contract stack up?
In the aftermath of Wilson’s tweet, OverTheCap has Tranquill’s contract broken down. His signing bonus, as expected, is prorated for $1.5M over the next three years. Additionally, the $250,000 workout bonus applies to all three seasons and the $510,000 in possible per-game roster bonuses appear to apply to only 2026. His salary cap hits are $3M, $8.5M and $7.5M for 2024, 2025 and 2026, respectively. Those figures and the overall structure are consistent with my findings using their calculator tool to manually extend Tranquill to the same contract.
The 2026 campaign is the one to watch here. Tranquill will be entering his age-31 season, which is a potentially precarious position to be in. Should the Chiefs opt against keeping him for the third year of the deal, they’d be able to get out of it while saving $6M against the cap. That pre-June 1 cut would incur only $1.5M in dead money. Year No. 3’s base salary being non-guaranteed helps tremendously.
Compared to linebackers league-wide, Tranquill’s new contract is intriguing. On an average annual value basis, he now ranks 17th in all of football. His percentage of guaranteed funds (65.8) also skews a bit to the higher end, although the value is still respectable. Not only does locking Tranquill back in help preserve a Nick Bolton insurance policy, but it also keeps a very talented player in Kansas City.
Tranquill did a bit of everything for the Chiefs in 2023-24, thriving in coverage while also factoring into the run game and even recording 4.5 sacks as a pass-rush weapon. Without him, Steve Spagnuolo’s defense likely struggles more without Bolton for an extended period. Tranquill’s combination of leadership, football IQ, athleticism and fit made him the perfect short-term signing. Now, he’ll look to prove the team right once again by providing surplus value with a longer payday secured.
