NFL decision-makers are seemingly divided over the Kansas City Chiefs‘ big offseason swing in free agency.
The Athletic’s Mike Sando recently spoke with several NFL executives, who anonymously shared their unfiltered thoughts on every AFC and NFC team’s moves during the recent free agency period.
Of course, the Chiefs’ big move of the offseason was risky: They signed former San Francisco 49ers backup LT Jaylon Moore to a two-year, $30 million deal with the goal of making him their starter.
There’s some skepticism toward that plan, but there’s also some understanding among NFL executives.
Anonymous NFL executives divided on Chiefs’ decision to sign Jaylon Moore
Two executives that Sando spoke to weighed in on the move to sign Moore. One of them didn’t love the signing, citing three main points of criticism.
“Jaylon Moore has had durability issues, he has never been a front-line player and he’s been protected in a system that is not dropback-heavy, so I do not love that move,” one exec said.
Just because he hasn’t been a front-line player doesn’t mean he’s not worthy of becoming one. There’s no denying that he only has a dozen career starts. His own former 49ers teammate who followed him to Kansas City this offseason called him a “sleeper.” He just needs the opportunity to prove himself with the Chiefs.
As for the “dropback-heavy” critique, the exec is not wrong about the differences there. Kyle Shanahan’s scheme is all about getting the ball out quickly in the passing game, and it relies heavily on the run game and play-action. If you look at Kansas City’s offense en route to Super Bowl LIX, the quick game is where they really excelled late in the season. So, perhaps that’s part of the vision in 2025.
At the same time, Moore’s tape shows a significantly better left tackle option than any of the four players the Chiefs started in 2024, even with scheme differences.
Moore has only suffered two notable injuries in the NFL. In 2023, he missed Week 17 due to a concussion. In 2024, he was placed on IR with a quadriceps injury that he suffered during S.F.’s Week 16 loss to the Dolphins, and he missed the season’s final two games. I’m not sure that’s a long-term problem that should cause any worries.
On the other hand, a different NFL executive sees the potential in this signing. The reward far outweighs the risk when you consider the other options that were on the table.
“I’m sure some will say they did a bad job there,” another exec said of the Chiefs, “but really, they took a $15 million (per year) shot at a guy who has upside, and if it doesn’t work out, at worst, he is going to be an overpaid swing tackle for them next year. That is not a terrible outcome. Whereas Tennessee gave Daniel Moore $50 million over two years, which was crazy to me.”
Moore’s contract structure truly makes this a no-lose scenario for Kansas City. If he’s your solution as a starter, you get him for $15M per year over the next two seasons and will have an opportunity to re-sign him. If he’s not the answer and you find that answer in the 2025 NFL draft, he has already proven that he can be a quality and reliable backup in the league.
The Chiefs know perhaps better than any other team in the league just how important it is to have quality backup offensive linemen to go with quality starters. Just turn on Super Bowl LV and Super Bowl LIX to find out.
