Chiefs explain Danna’s release as decisions on Jawaan Taylor, Drue Tranquill loom
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs restructured Mahomes’ deal (‑$43.56M) and released Mike Danna (‑$9M).
- Danna’s release cleared about $9M; Chiefs remain roughly $6M over the 2026 cap.
- Cutting Taylor ($20M) and Tranquill ($6M) could save about $26M total.
With the NFL Scouting Combine in full swing, the Kansas City Chiefs have begun making the necessary moves to become cap-compliant by the start of the new league year on March 11.
Last week, the Chiefs restructured Patrick Mahomes’ contract, freeing up $43.56 million in cap space for the 2026 season. On Monday, they confirmed the release of Mike Danna, which cleared about $9 million.
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach addressed Danna’s release during his combine news conference.
“Mike Danna was a little unique and different,” Veach said Tuesday. “Mike Danna was in the building this week. I had a chance to talk to Mike. You guys know Mike — he’s as good as it gets (and) just a tremendous player and person and I have a lot of respect for him.”
Drafted in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Danna appeared in 87 games, compiling 21.5 regular-season sacks during his six years with the Chiefs. The two-time Super Bowl champion thanked the organization Tuesday on his official Instagram account.
Veach said he felt obligated to speak with Danna in person before making the move.
“(I) wanted to have that opportunity — since I saw him this weekend — to let him go out there and see what his market is,” Veach said. “We’ll remain in contact.”
As of Tuesday, Kansas City remains over the 2026 cap by an estimated $6 million, so Danna’s release is likely the start of a wave of difficult decisions.
The Chiefs could save $20 million against the cap by releasing right tackle Jawaan Taylor and another $6 million by saying goodbye to linebacker Drue Tranquill.
It’s also possible either player could take a pay cut, as former Chiefs players Frank Clark (2022) and Sammy Watkins (2020) once did. But those scenarios tend to be few and far between.
“These guys started for us, and they’ve played a lot of football for us,” Veach said of Taylor and Tranquill. “I don’t know if we’re six or seven (million) over, but I think we have 60 million in convertible contracts, too.
“We have many different ways to attack this, and I think that’s the one thing we’ve been good at. We don’t do a lot of money pushed down to future years, and I think we run a pretty tight ship there.
“This gives us flexibility to do different things. Again, that’s part of the process with all of those guys, and we’ll see how the scenarios shake out.”
This story was originally published February 25, 2026 at 9:51 AM with the headline "Chiefs explain Danna’s release as decisions on Jawaan Taylor, Drue Tranquill loom."
