Who are the highest-paid players on Chiefs? Salary cap, payroll numbers, what to know

The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to win the Super Bowl for a third consecutive year. General manager Brett Veach will deserve a lot of praise if the team he has helped build is able to achieve that goal.

The Chiefs have drafted well during Veach's reign but they have also done a great job of working within the NFL's salary cap structure to retain their top players. Veach and Co. have found ways to pay budding stars like Creed Humphrey while also properly compensating veteran stars like Travis Kelce to keep Kansas City's machine well-oiled.

Of course, it was also critical for the team to find some smart, midrange contracts for role players given the constraints imposed by Patrick Mahomes' big-money contract. The Chiefs' deals with Mike Danna and Charles Omenihu qualify as such.

Here's a look at Kansas City's highest-paid players this season (and beyond) as the Chiefs fight for another Super Bowl ring.

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Who are the Chiefs' highest-paid players?

No matter how you slice it, Mahomes is the Chiefs' most expensive player. He is making the most in average annual value (AAV), has the largest contract and has the largest cap hit among the players on Kansas City's 53-man roster.

The Chiefs have also invested significantly in the trenches. Linemen like Chris Jones, Jawaan Taylor, Joe Thuney and Humphrey comprise a majority of the team's spending outside of quarterback.

Below is a breakdown of Kansas City's top 10 earners by each notable metric. (Information via Spotrac.)

AAV

1. QB Patrick Mahomes: $45 million

2. DL Chris Jones: $31.75 million

3. OL Jawaan Taylor: $20 million

4. C Creed Humphrey: $18 million

5. TE Travis Kelce: $17.125 million

6. OL Joe Thuney: $16 million

7. WR DeAndre Hopkins: $13 million

8. S Justin Reid: $10.5 million

9. DL Mike Danna: $8 million

10. DL Charles Omenihu: $8 million

Total contract value

1. QB Patrick Mahomes: $450 million

2. DL Chris Jones: $158.75 million

3. OL Jawaan Taylor: $80 million

4. OL Joe Thuney: $80 million

5. C Creed Humphrey: $72 million

6. TE Travis Kelce: $34.25 million

7. S Justin Reid: $31.5 million

8. WR DeAndre Hopkins: $26 million

9. K Harrison Butker: $25.6 million

10. DL Mike Danna: $24 million

2024 cap hit

1. QB Patrick Mahomes: $37.01 million

2. OL Joe Thuney: $26.97 million

3. TE Travis Kelce: $19.55 million

4. OL Jawaan Taylor: $19.39 million

5. S Justin Reid: $14.25 million

6. DL Charles Omenihu: $10.97 million

7. DL Chris Jones: $7.35 million

8. WR Hollywood Brown: $6.96 million

9. C Creed Humphrey: $5.15 million

10. DL Mike Danna: $4.67 million

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Chiefs payroll 2024

The Chiefs had total salary cap allocations of just under $250 million during the 2024 NFL season, per Spotrac. They also had about $9.6 million accounted for on their reserve lists.

Chiefs salary cap space for 2024, beyond

The Chiefs finished the 2024 NFL season with just $2.22 million in cap space, good for the fourth-least in the NFL, per Spotrac.

Below is a look at Kansas City's projected salary cap space over the next three offseasons along with the total number of players they have under contract, per OverTheCap.com.

• 2025: $11.5 million (38)

• 2026: $77.2 million (24)

• 2027: $167.4 million (12)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chiefs' highest paid players: Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones top list