Chiefs apply right-of-1st-refusal tender on restricted free-agent punter Tommy Townsend
The Chiefs on Friday made a move with an eye toward free agency, which starts Wednesday.
The Chiefs applied a right-of-first-refusal tender on restricted free-agent punter Tommy Townsend, a source familiar with the situation confirmed to The Star.
The tender, which carries a one-year, $2.62 million contract, means the Chiefs can match an offer sheet Townsend might receive elsewhere.
But there’s a risk involved with this level of tender: The Chiefs get no compensation in return if they decide to not match an offer from another team.
The Chiefs could have applied a first- or second-round tender on Townsend to ensure compensation in the event of an unmatched offer, but the team did not go that route.
Townsend, 26, is coming off his first All-Pro season and might gain some interest around the league from other teams in need of a proven punter.
In 2022, the 6-foot-1, 194-pound Townsend produced career-high numbers in punts (53), yards (2,672), yards per attempt (50.4) and punts inside an opponent’s 20-yard line (22). He was also named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September and the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 15.
Townsend, who is also the Chiefs’ primary holder in field-goal and extra-point situations, originally joined the Chiefs in 2020 as an undrafted free agent out of Florida. He owns a 47.6-yards-per-punt average through three seasons as a pro.
The NFL Network first reported the news of Townsend’s tender.
This story was originally published March 10, 2023 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Chiefs apply right-of-1st-refusal tender on restricted free-agent punter Tommy Townsend."
