Kansas City Chiefs sign G Josh Thompson

Josh Thompson's three-year, $3.12M deal earns a C+ Contract Value Index (CVI), landing in fair-deal territory for a guard signing at the league minimum band — neither a steal nor a red flag, just a functional depth acquisition. At $1.04M AAV, this is textbook roster-filler pricing, the kind of contract teams hand out to interior linemen competing for a spot on the back end of a 53-man roster rather than penciled-in starters. Without standout production metrics in the data to point to, Thompson reads as a below-average to solid-starter-ceiling player being paid accordingly — the contract isn't outrunning the talent, which is the baseline requirement for a passing CVI grade. The structure does carry some concern, though: with only $267,500 in guaranteed money on a three-year deal, the Chiefs are carrying almost zero financial risk, which tells you this is an option on upside rather than a commitment to a known commodity. That minimal guarantee also signals Thompson has limited leverage in roster battles — Kansas City can move on after any single evaluation window without a meaningful cap consequence. For a Chiefs team that enters the 2026 season needing to reverse a rough stretch, adding cheap interior line depth is sound roster construction practice, even if this particular signing won't move the needle on paper. The CVI reflects exactly what this is: a low-stakes, low-reward move that does its job without costing the franchise anything it can't immediately recover.