Chiefs bringing in Jaylon Moore to play left tackle: Why they think he’s ready

The Kansas City Chiefs identified and acquired their new left tackle Monday, agreeing to sign Jaylon Moore to a two-year contract, league sources told The Athletic.

Moore, 27, was the No. 8 offensive tackle in The Athletic’s NFL free-agency rankings and No. 105 overall.

The Chiefs and Moore agreed to a two-year contract worth $30 million, including $21.2 million guaranteed, according to a league source.

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With Moore joining their roster, the Chiefs, under general manager Brett Veach, are close to completing their top priority this offseason, which was revamping the offensive line. The biggest hole on the Chiefs’ roster entering Monday was at left tackle. For the first time in his career, Moore is projected to be the starting left tackle — the lineman most responsible for protecting the blind side of quarterback Patrick Mahomes — and he will play alongside left guard Kingsley Suamataia, who takes over for All-Pro Joe Thuney, whom the Chiefs traded to the Chicago Bears. The rest of the line is projected to be center Creed Humphrey, right guard Trey Smith and right tackle Jawaan Taylor.

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How he fits

The Chiefs need to find a long-term solution at left tackle. This deal gives Moore, who played the past four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, the opportunity to prove he can be a reliable pass protector for Mahomes, who will be 30 years old in September.

The Chiefs’ initial plan for free agency was to try to convince veteran left tackle Ronnie Stanley to leave the Baltimore Ravens. Stanley, however, re-signed with the Ravens, forcing the Chiefs to pivot to acquiring Moore, whom they see as an underrated and ascending player.

The Chiefs are optimistic that Moore is ready for such an increase in responsibility after he was a four-year understudy behind Trent Williams, one of the league’s best left tackles. In the past two seasons, Moore has played 279 pass-blocking snaps and has allowed just two sacks.

GO DEEPER Chiefs free agency tracker: Ex-49er Jaylon Moore is the new left tackle

2025 impact

Moore’s arrival leaves Veach and coach Andy Reid with one major task left for the offensive line: They need to sign Smith to a multiyear extension.

The Chiefs’ first major move this offseason was to place the franchise tag on Smith, the 25-year-old who was a Pro Bowler last season. Smith signed the tag, which restricts him to a one-year salary of $23.4 million.

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Smith is projected to command a four-year, $86 million contract, including $52.5 million guaranteed, according to Pro Football Focus. The Chiefs could sign Smith to a five-year deal with at least $50 million fully guaranteed, which would be the most ever for a guard. The team prefers a five-year deal because it would be better to spread the money over those years while also projecting the league’s salary cap to continue to increase.

Cap update

This is where things get tricky for the Chiefs. They entered Monday more than $9 million over the salary cap, which is $279.2 million for this season, according to Over the Cap. The team will have to be under the cap by 3 p.m. CT Wednesday.

The easiest way the Chiefs can get under the cap is to convert most of the $32.3 million in Mahomes’s contract to a signing bonus. The team can do the same with pass rusher Chris Jones ($15 million roster bonus) and tight end Travis Kelce ($12.5 million).

Signing Smith to an extension will also lower his cap hit for the upcoming season.

GO DEEPER Chiefs free agency tracker: Ex-49er Jaylon Moore is the new left tackle

Outlook

Perhaps the only way the Chiefs were going to find a perfect solution for their problem was by signing Stanley, who is a proven starter. But Stanley has also dealt with multiple significant injuries during his career, so there would’ve been some risk in acquiring him. With Moore, the Chiefs believe they’ve found the next-best option — a young player with no injury history who can improve throughout his two-year deal.

If Moore can be a capable and dependable starter, the Chiefs will continue to remain one of the top Super Bowl contenders.

(Photo: Darren Yamashita / USA Today)

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