The Kansas City Chiefs could've wished for a better outcome in the 2021 NFL Playoffs after absorbing a tough loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game. With the disappointing outcome, the team is now heading to the offseason where the front office is expected to make a lot of significant decisions on their roster.

Currently, the Chiefs are handicapped with over $14.2 million of salary-cap space prior to the 2022 season. They can further increase that number by restructuring contracts and signing bonuses which will allow them to have more room to make necessary roster moves.

However, they have a long list of key players who have expiring contracts led by Tyrann Mathieu, Orlando Brown Jr., and Melvin Ingram, among others. With that said, some players are expected to be cut in order to accommodate their contract extensions in the Chiefs' bid to make another deep playoff run in 2022.

1 surprise roster cut for the Chiefs in the offseason

A player who could surprisingly find himself out of the roster in the offseason would be inside linebacker Anthony Hitchens. He started out his career as a member of the Dallas Cowboys where he had a strong run from 2014 to 2017. Hitchens then landed a five-year, $45 million contract to suit up for the Chiefs back in 2018.

Ever since his arrival, he has always been a presence for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo who involved him in most of their plays on defense. That continued until the 2021 season when he recorded 80 combined tackles, two passes defended, and an interception in 15 games played.

Heading to 2022, his contract is set to have a $12.7 million cap hit for the Chiefs but they can save around $8.5 million with $4.2 million in dead money if they opt to cut him in the offseason. Looking back, there has always been writing on the wall in terms of Hitchen's future with the team. GM Brett Veach already sought his potential replacements as they previously used their second-draft picks over the past two years to draft linebackers in Willie Gay and Nick Bolton.

Both youngsters managed to contribute right away for the Chiefs' defense despite seeing limited action on the field. Surely enough, they have already shown that they can contribute more if they get to have larger roles within the team. The said notion now encourages the Chiefs to part ways with Hitchens, given that they have two up-and-coming players who have shown potential early in their careers.

Additionally, drafting another linebacker in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft remains to be an option for the Chiefs, which further puts a cloud of uncertainty over the veteran's tenure in Kansas City. Another player that is expected to be cut by the team is defensive end Frank Clark who currently owns a five-year, $104 million contract.

If both Clark and Hitchens will be cut in the offseason, then the Chiefs would gain an additional $34 million in cap space which could help a lot in terms of re-signing the other players on their roster.

As of the moment, it seems like the team would need to clear their bigger contracts in order to bolster the other position groups including the defensive line, wide receivers, and cornerback position. With the Chiefs needing to make room on their roster, Anthony Hitchen's contract would seem like a viable option for them to get rid of in order to have a competent lineup for 2022.