The Kanas City Chiefs have officially re-signed five-time Pro Bowler Tamba Hali to a three year deal worth $22 million, including $12 million guaranteed according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. This extension for Hali will allow him to continue to play and presumably end his career with the team that drafted him out of Penn State in the 2006 NFL Draft.
Hali's Underwhelming 2015 Season
The 2015 NFL season was not one that would stand out in the eyes of Tamba Hali or any Chiefs fan as Hali finished the regular season with just six and a half sacks and 48 combines tackles. Hali dealt with multiple nagging knee injuries throughout the season that hindered his pass-rushing abilities which led to the low sack number for the season. Hali has totaled just 12.5 sacks the last two seasons and has continued to endure injuries that keep him from playing at the high level of football that he is used to playing at. This leads to the question of whether or not an aging 31-year-old outside linebacker with bad knees should be receiving a 22 million dollar deal at the horizon of his career. Obviously Hali means a whole lot to the Chiefs franchise on and off the field, as he has helped develop the up-and-coming Dee Ford as well as being a veteran leader in the locker room.
John Dorsey: "We Aren't Going To Let Good Players Go."
Last week at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine, Chiefs General Manager John Dorsey was asked a question about the team's multiple veteran unrestricted free agents and Dorsey responded "We aren't going to let good players go." Now with the franchise tag of Eric Berry and now the extension of Tamba Hali, Dorsey is sticking to his word. The NFL off-season is a long process where teams will evaluate their current rosters and other team's rosters to help build a better team, and the Chiefs have plenty of cap room to make sure they lock up a majority of their important free agents. Other Chiefs free agents include Derrick Johnson, Sean Smith, Jeff Allen, Jaye Howard and Mike DeVito; and if all goes to plan for Dorsey he will retain most of those players. The first day NFL teams can start signing unrestricted free agents begins March 9th at 4 P.M. ET.