The Chiefs Can Really Blow up the NFL if They Sign Former Saints Star Larry Warford

An ironclad offensive guard hit the open market on Friday when the New Orleans Saints shockingly released Larry Warford to salvage close to $8 million in cap space. The 28-year-old stud figures to have a plethora of squads looking to ink his signature, and he'll have the luxury of picking where he wants to play.

If the Kansas City Chiefs beat everybody else to the punch, well, their already favorable Super Bowl odds would increase ten fold.

Warford, a Pro Bowler for three consecutive seasons, should be pretty affordable given how deep we are into the free agency cycle. That's why the Chiefs, who don't have a ton of cap space, need to pounce on the former third-round pick. He would instantly upgrade KC's offensive line, which could use another interior lineman to pair opposite Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.

The financial side of things is certainly complicated considering the Chiefs don't have a ton of money to work with and have other contract needs to deal with down the road. However, pursuing Warford would only give them more incentive to sign defensive tackle Chris Jones to an extension, which would clear up cap space so he doesn't have to eat up $16 million in 2019. The organization could also restructure the contracts of players that are currently crippling the payroll, or simply backload Warford's deal/convert a lot of 2019's pay to a signing bonus so they can make it work.

With Patrick Mahomes under center, Kansas City's ceiling is incalculable. Keeping him upright should be the franchise's top priority, and signing Warford would drastically improve their chances at doing so. The Kentucky product would take the Chiefs to a level of elite we didn't think was possible.