Record Creed Humphrey Contract Named Chiefs' Most Important Extension

Stringing together good draft classes in the NFL does come at a cost in the most literal sense. With successful picks come high-level performers, which turn into high-dollar contracts from either a player's original team or its next one in free agency.

For the Kansas City Chiefs, their 2021 NFL Draft crop is already due for contract extensions in the near future. Entering their fourth years on the job, players like linebacker Nick Bolton and right guard Trey Smith could be signed to lucrative long-term deals.

Quite easily the top player from that group, though, is center Creed Humphrey. Ryan Fowler of Bleacher Report agrees, as he listed Humphrey's situation as Kansas City's most important contract extension ahead of the 2024 campaign. Fowler suggests a pact "north of $14 million a year over four years" for the former second-round pick.

"The Kansas City Chiefs have a long list of extension candidates," Fowler wrote. "At the top of the list, however, should sit Creed Humphrey. The anchor along one of the NFL's top offensive lines, his impact since being drafted in 2021 has been twofold with the success of the Chiefs' offensive ceiling.

"Sure, having Patrick Mahomes as the leader of an offense helps, but the ability of Humphrey (a unique athlete as a left-handed center) to quickly evolve into one of the league's elite has remained of the utmost importance for GM Brett Veach. Orchestrating a deal north of $14 million a year over four seasons is likely the ballpark where Kansas City could land with Humphrey."

It's hard to disagree with Fowler's sentiment that Humphrey is a must-sign in due time. After all, he's a back-to-back Pro Bowler and has started every regular-season game since entering the NFL. Also, he made second-team All-Pro for his 2022 effort. Advanced stats love Humphrey's game, too, as he logged Pro Football Focus composite offensive grades of 91.4 and 90.0 before posting a healthy 78.2 number this past year.

Joshua Brisco of Arrowhead Report on SI.com recently wrote about which member of the Chiefs' 2021 draft class he'd focus on extending.

"Personally, I think there's no doubt that the most important member of the 2021 draft class is Humphrey, and if the Chiefs can get anything resembling good value by extending him this offseason before he plays out his "contract year," they should get pen to paper before training camp arrives," Brisco wrote.

How much is too much for Humphrey? It's hard to say. Right now, the highest center salary by average annual value is Detroit Lions standout Frank Ragnow at $13.5M. Behind him are Lloyd Cushenberry of the Tennessee Titans ($12.5M AAV) and Ryan Kelly of the Indianapolis Colts ($12.4M AAV). Is Humphrey the best center in football at his peak? There's a case to be made, and the nature of positional markets always resides with who's the new highest-paid player.

Either way, extending Humphrey should indeed be a priority for the Chiefs. He's young, durable and great at his job. Those players don't grow on trees, especially in the trenches. Keeping him paired with Patrick Mahomes late into the decade makes too much sense.