Chiefs unlock $43M cap space by restructuring Mahomes deal

Kansas City restructured Patrick Mahomes' 2026 compensation, converting $44.05M of base salary and a $10.4M roster bonus into a guaranteed roster bonus, creating about $43.56M in cap space and lowering the 2026 cap hit from $78.214M to $34.65M; the move pushes costs into future years (2027 cap hit rising to $85.25M) and is the opening step in getting compliant before the league year, with more restructures and potential veteran releases (e.g., Chris Jones) likely to follow.