The Chiefs have employed a rarely used device to improve their chances of keeping unrestricted free agent linebacker Melvin Ingram.
Kansas City put the UFA tender on Ingram today, according to Field Yates of ESPN.
That means the Chiefs are offering Ingram a one-year contract worth $4.4 million, which is 110 percent of his 2021 pay. Ingram can sign that contract any time he wants and remain with the Chiefs for 2022.
Ingram can also continue to shop himself to other teams in free agency, but there’s now a July 22 deadline. If he hasn’t signed with another team by July 22, he has to stay with the Chiefs.
And if Ingram does sign with another team, the Chiefs would be eligible to get a compensatory draft pick for his departure, even though the deadline for compensatory picks passed today.
All in all, it’s a smart move for the Chiefs, which doesn’t guarantee they’ll keep Ingram but does improve their chances of keeping him — or of getting a compensatory pick back if they can’t.