The Chiefs have moved closer toward getting under the cap in advance of Tuesday’s deadline, announcing today in a press release that they’ve terminated the contract of linebacker Joe Mays. There had been one season left on the two-year pact Mays signed with the team last offseason.
Mays, who turns 30 this July, was coming off a solid year with the Texans, in which he started 13 games for the club, when he signed that two-year contract with Kansas City. However, he didn’t get a chance to play much for the Chiefs in 2014, recording 20 tackles in just eight games, and spending a chunk of the season on the injured reserve list due to a wrist injury.
By releasing the run-stopping linebacker, the Chiefs will reduce his $3.7MM cap hit to just $1MM in dead money, creating $2.7MM in cap savings. After cutting Mays, the team still needs to clear about $3MM more from its cap to get under the threshold before Tuesday.
As a vested veteran, Mays won’t have to pass through waivers, and can immediately sign with any other team.