On Tuesday, there was a report that the next 24 hours would be critical ones in the contract negotiations between the Chiefs and first-round pick Dontari Poe.
The two sides were described as being “not close” in that report, but something must have happened in the last 24-plus hours. The Chiefs and Poe, the 11th overall pick, have come to agreement on a four-year deal which sources tell PFT does include the offset language that has been a stumbling block in the negotiations of some rookie contracts.
Offset language also appears in the contract of 10th overall pick Stephon Gilmore, something that likely made it harder for Poe to avoid when dealing with the Chiefs on his own deal. Gilmore gets the benefit of being one of the first 10 picks, which means that the team option on his fifth-year salary will be the average of the 10 highest paid cornerbacks in the league. As the 11th pick, Poe’s fifth year salary will be the average of the 3rd-25th best-paid players at defensive tackle which makes No. 11 a tough draft slot to swallow.
Poe will still do well enough financially, however, and strong play in his first few years will help him build a case to avoid that fifth-year option with a new, more lucrative contract across the board.