Here's Who the Chiefs Will Franchise Tag Next Year

The defending Super Bowl Champs have been making headlines again the last week or so as they agreed to monster extensions with both Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones, their biggest stars on both sides of the ball. The way the Kansas City Chiefs managed to work both of these long-term deals hand-in-hand was truly a thing of beauty.

Patrick Mahomes 10-year extension: ✅
Chris Jones 4-year contract: ✅
The next NFL dynasty: ❓@LRiddickESPN breaks down why he thinks the Chiefs are set up for success. pic.twitter.com/axabwDhv2Q
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 15, 2020

Now that they got Mahomes and Jones settled, we can take a look to their 2021 unrestricted free agents, and which one may be the likeliest candidate for next year's franchise tag. As of now, that honor goes to center Austin Reiter.

Now that the quarterback is signed to a 10-year deal, it's important to get some continuity in front of him. Not only do the Chiefs need to protect Mahomes like a billion-dollar antique vase, but they also need him to form a strong bond with his center of the future. If Reiter can step up and become that, they will need to keep him in town.

The Chiefs offensive line has been the best in the league at holding blocks in the first 3 seconds of a pass play.

According to our Hurry Probability model, the @Chiefs OL is expected to allow a hurry on 9% of dropbacks within 3 seconds, best in the NFL.#SBLIV | #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/WFQubYcGtk
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 27, 2020

Offensive linemen are some of the most coveted personnel in free agency, and it would be smart to make sure Reiter never hits the open market. We just saw the New England Patriots and Washington Redskins use the same tactics on guards Joe Thuney and Brandon Scherff this offseason.

His overall talent probably won't demand a ridiculous contract (barring a phenomenal 2020 campaign), but you never know what Reiter's agent may be looking for now that he's a Super Bowl Champion.

This deal may need some time to work itself out, and that's exactly what the franchise tag can supply, time. For a franchise that just gave their QB a 10-year deal, that's one thing they have plenty of.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook today and get your first bet risk free for up to $500!

Michael Obermuller is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Michael Obermuller also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username king_mizzard. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.