Aug. 21, 2015; Kansas City, MO; Chiefs guard Paul Fanaika (74) warms up before a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks at Arrowhead Stadium. (Emily DeShazer/The Topeka Capital-Journal)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Chiefs could be in the market for a guard after shaking up the roster two days before the NFL Draft.
The Chiefs released veteran guard Paul Fanaika, a source familiar with the move confirmed Tuesday afternoon with The Topeka Capital-Journal and ChiefsDigest.com. The release was eventually listed on Tuesday’s NFL Transactions report.
The 6-5, 327-pound Fanaika joined the Chiefs in March 2015 on a three-year, $8.1 million contract, but landed on injured reserve with a back injury before playing a regular-season snap.
Kansas City approached Fanaika to take a pay cut, which he refused, according to the source. Both parties attempted to work out a solution before Tuesday’s release.
That the Chiefs attempted to rework the contract doesn’t surprise when considering the team had $782,806 in available cap space before Fanaika’s release.
Fanaika originally entered the league in 2009 out of Arizona State as a seventh-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles. He spent time with the Seattle Seahawks in 2011 and two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals (2013-14) before joining the Chiefs.
With Fanaika no longer on the roster, the Chiefs are left with Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Jah Reid, Zach Fulton, Jarrod Pughsley and Michael Liedtke at the guard position.
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Herbie Teope is the lead Chiefs beat writer for The Topeka Capital-Journal and ChiefsDigest.com. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter: @HerbieTeope.
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