KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Chiefs signed unrestricted free agent long snapper James Winchester to a two-year contract, a source confirmed Thursday afternoon with ChiefsDigest.com.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed and the Chiefs have not announced the transaction.
Winchester’s signing was first announced on Twitter by his agent:
CONGRATS to Long Snapper @J_Winchester86 on signing with the @KCChiefs today! #Boomer #PlayersRep @OU_Football
— Ken Sarnoff (@KenSarnoff) March 12, 2015
The 6-3, 210-pound Winchester entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma, where he was college teammates with current Chiefs offensive lineman Donald Stephenson and cornerback Jamell Fleming.
The 26-year-old Winchester, a native of Washington, Okla., tried out for the Chiefs in May 2012 and the Green Bay Packers in May 2013 before signing with the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 12, 2013. The Eagles released him 13 days later on Aug. 25.
Kansas City has three long snappers on the offseason roster: Winchester, Brandon Hartson and Jorgen Hus.
Hartson and Hus signed reserve/future deals days after the Chiefs’ 2014 regular season ended.
Thomas Gafford, an unrestricted free agent, manned the long snapper position the past seven seasons. He remains unsigned since the start of free agency.
