George Karlaftis, Kansas City Chiefs agree to 4-year extension per reports
The reigning AFC champions made Super Bowl 59 last season in no small part thanks to their defense. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo led a unit that finished the year fourth in points allowed and gave up more than 25 points just five times.
Less than a week after rewarding one of their top young talents on the offensive line - guard Trey Smith - the team handed out a long-term extension to one of its best young players on defense: edge rusher George Karlaftis.
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Kansas City and Karlaftis agreed to a four-year, $93 million extension with $62 million guaranteed, per multiple reports.
BREAKING: The #Chiefs and standout DE George Karlaftis are finalizing a 4-year extension, per multiple sources.After securing Pro Bowl G Trey Smith to a 4-year extension, the Chiefs do the same with Karlaftis — who recorded 24.5 sacks during his first three NFL seasons. pic.twitter.com/oBmuwlx8V1
Kansas City drafted Karlaftis in the first round, No. 30 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. He started all 17 games at edge rusher as a rookie in 2022 and hasn't missed a game since.
Through his first three seasons, Karlaftis has 24.5 sacks, including a career-high 10.5 in 2023.
He led the Chiefs in sacks with 8.0 last season and finished tied for third league-wide in quarterback hits with 28. Only Denver's Zach Allen (40) and Cincinnati's Trey Hendrickson (36) had more.
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George Karlaftis contract details
Karlaftis and the Chiefs agreed to a four-year extension worth $92 million, giving him an average annual value (AAV) of $22 million. He could get up to $23.25 million per season if he hits specific incentives.
That standard AAV puts him 11th league-wide among edge rushers behind Minnesota's Andrew Van Ginkel ($23 million) and ahead of Hendrickson ($21 million). If he meets all those incentives, he'll go up to 10th in AAV.
This makes him the second-highest paid defender on the Chiefs defense by AAV behind defensive tackle Chris Jones.
That could change if the team decides to sign fellow 2022 NFL Draft first-round pick Trent McDuffie to a long-term extension. Like Karlaftis, he's entering the second-to-last year of his rookie contract.
Kansas City has picked up McDuffie's fifth-year option so he will be with the team through 2026 at the least.
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