The Kansas City Chiefs are 5-3 on the campaign and have won three straight games, with the latest one coming against the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football. While most players have done their part during the Chiefs’ heater, Kristian Fulton is someone who hasn’t, as the veteran cornerback continues to be left out of the team’s lineup.

In the win, Fulton was inactive for the sixth straight contest (h/t @pgsween). And the free agent acquisition continues to look like a waste of money, making it look like Kansas City is burning every dollar of his contract for the fun of it.

Chiefs Are Wasting Money with Kristian Fulton

During free agency, Fulton agreed to a two-year, $20 million deal, with $15 million guaranteed. While it was expected that he would be a starter on the outside for this secondary, it has been the opposite.

First, Fulton missed the majority of training camp and preseason due to an injury, and even since he’s returned, he hasn’t looked good out there. According to Pro Football Focus, he has a 54.0 overall grade and 58.5 coverage grade, showing few signs of improvement.

Instead of playing Fulton, the Chiefs are rolling with Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, and Chamarri Conner as the top three players in the secondary. They have clearly earned the trust of the coaching staff, whereas Fulton has been riding the bench, just hoping for head coach Andy Reid’s staff to show him some mercy.

If the Chiefs released Fulton this year, they would get hit with a $15 million dead cap hit and $8 million if they released him next season, according to Spotrac. Regardless, that’s just money being wasted for a player that was brought in to be a playmaker in the secondary. Considering that we are halfway through the season, and Fulton hasn’t been able to crack the rotation is concerning.

Before coming to Kansas City, Fulton had 51 total starts under his belt and was a quality CB for the Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Chargers. The Chiefs thought they were getting that with Fulton, but that hasn’t been the case, and it’s getting to the point where fans are wondering if anything will change.

The Chiefs need to seriously consider finding a way to move Futon ahead of the deadline. If they can’t find a trade partner, it might be in their best interest to just eat the money and release him. He’s been inactive for six consecutive games, and there doesn’t seem to be a plan for him to suit up.

It’s evident this move didn’t work out in their favor, and it’s time to rip off the band-aid. It was a bad signing, so it’s time for the Chiefs to part ways with Fulton and accept that he was a $20 million mistake.