Another free agent safety is off the board, as Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star reports (via Twitter) that the Chiefs have re-signed Ron Parker to a five-year, $30MM deal. The deal follows lengthy overnight negotiations, reports Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.
$30MM is a lot of money to commit to a player with only a single seasons worth of starting experience. However, after establishing career-highs across the board in 2014, Parker may be worth it. The 27-year-old started 15 games for the Chiefs last season, compiling 94 tackles, 12 passes defended, one interception and one forced fumble. Despite the solid numbers, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) wasn’t impressed by Parker’s performance. The former Newberry College standout played 745 of his 1,037 snaps at safety, and PFF ranked him 73rd among 87 safety candidates.
Parker had previously met with the Bears, but he left Chicago without a deal. The Buccaneers were also rumored to be interested. He was an honorable mention in our rankings of the top 50 free agents.