Last year, the Chiefs signed defensive lineman Jaye Howard to a two-year, $10 million contract, with $8.3 million guaranteed. This year, Howard is out.
The Chiefs released Howard today, while still owing him a guaranteed $2.5 million of that contract. If another team signs Howard, the offset in his contract allows the Chiefs to deduct his 2017 salary from the amount they still owe him.
Howard played in eight games last year, starting four, before going on injured reserve with a hip injury. There’s been no recent word on the status of his hip, but the Chiefs may doubt he’ll be able to return to the form they got from him in 2015, when he played in all 16 games with 13 starts and 5.5 sacks.
The 28-year-old Howard entered the NFL as a fourth-round pick of the Seahawks in 2012. He played in Seattle as a rookie and then was waived before his second season and picked up by the Chiefs.