The Kansas City Chiefs added a defensive player to their ranks on Thursday, inking Alex Okafor to a three-year deal worth $18 million. Okafor brings a veteran presence to a defense in rebuild mode. After cutting loose several fan favorites on defense, the Kansas City Chiefs have brought a nice addition in on a three-year deal. Alex Okafor is the recent Chiefs signing and he spent the last two years with the New Orleans Saints. Before that, Okafar was a member of the Arizona Cardinals for four seasons and has been a decent player throughout his six-year career. This is a good move for the Chiefs, who have made it clear that they’re no longer leaning on the old timers to run their defense. That was made obvious after Justin Houston, Dee Ford, and Eric Berry were all either released or traded this week. The Chiefs have signed DE Alex Okafor to a three-year deal worth $18 million, a source tells me. Deal can reach $24 million with incentives. — Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) March 14, 2019 Okafor had four sacks with the Saints last year and four and a half the season before that. He might not be THE guy rushing the quarterback, but he can get after it. He started all 16 games for New Orleans last season in a year where the Saints defense was under the radar. Okafor can serve as a mentor for both Breeland Speaks and Tanoh Kpassagnon, neither of whom contributed much in 2018. Kpass has had an especially tough go of it, not seeing the field much in either of his previous two seasons. Having someone like Okafor around to help them could be extremely beneficial to both of those young guys. This might not be a flashy signing, but it could end up as a sneaky good one. Okafor is just 28 years old and this deal will take him through his age 31 season. The former Saint has struggled with injuries throughout his career, but when healthy, he can provide a nice burst at defensive end for this rebuilding unit. Chiefs fans might be a bit worried after seeing Berry and Houston released and Ford traded, but those moves weren’t bad ones. Berry and Houston were both expensive and not living up the bill while Ford was going to become much more expensive and until last season, hadn’t shown he deserved that kind of dough. Want your voice heard? Join the KC Kingdom team! Write for us! While Alex Okafor isn’t going to make Chiefs fans jump for joy, he can be a solid contributor in what’s going to be a young defense. Here’s to hoping this move works out for the Kansas City Chiefs!<doc-sep>The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to a three-year contract with defensive end Alex Okafor, a source told ESPN on Thursday. According to NFL Network, which first reported the news, the deal is worth up to $24 million. Okafor will help the Chiefs' pass rush after the team released linebacker Justin Houston and traded linebacker Dee Ford to the San Francisco 49ers. The Chiefs needed defensive ends for their new 4-3 base defensive system and will plug Okafor into one of those spots. He likely will join Breeland Speaks, the Chiefs' second-round pick last year, as a starter. Okafor, who turned 28 in February, revived his career with the New Orleans Saints over the past two seasons. After suffering a torn Achilles late in the 2017 season, he came back last season to start all 16 games, compiling four sacks, while splitting playing time with rookie first-round draft pick Marcus Davenport. Before his injury in 2017, Okafor had 4.5 sacks in just 10 games after joining the Saints as a free agent. He played even more of an every-down role that season, showing his strength as both a pass-rusher and run defender. A fourth-round draft pick (103rd overall) in 2013, Okafor flashed his potential with eight sacks for the Arizona Cardinals in 2014. However, he was mostly stuck in a rotational role during his four seasons with the Cardinals while also battling a series of nagging biceps and toe injuries. Okafor has 22 sacks in 68 career games. ESPN's Adam Teicher and Mike Triplett contributed to this report.<doc-sep>
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 13: Alex Okafor #57 of the New Orleans Saints reacts after his teams win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints defeated the Eagles 20-14. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) The Kansas City Chiefs have added a defensive lineman in free agent Alex Okafor, who signed a three-year deal on Thursday. The Kansas City Chiefs have added a defensive lineman in free agency with the news that Alex Okafor, formerly of the New Orleans Saints, has joined the team with a new three-year contract. Okafor’s deal averages $6 million per year for a total of $18M for the duration of the deal, although reported incentives, per Terez Paylor, bring the total to $24 million over time. Okafor entered the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals but he spent the last two seasons with the Saints, starting 26 games in the process and putting up 8.5 sacks in that time. Okafor, who just turned 28-years-old, was ranked by Pro Football Focus as an above average defender last year. As a 6’4, 260 lb. defensive end, Okafor gives the Chiefs another option to compete with Breeland Speaks as an end. The veteran will give the Chiefs an extra pass rusher and some security in case one of the young guys aren’t ready yet. Steve Spagnuolo is the new defensive coordinator in K.C. and has a history of doing well when given several rotational players to work with to keep the front line fresh, Okafor will work with Speaks and Kpassagnon on the outside along with Justin Hamilton, Chris Jones, Derrick Nnadi and Xavier Williams inside. Together, the Chiefs have a nice front line before the draft even begins. Okafor first entered the NFL with the Cardinals as their fourth-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.