Chiefs Release S Eric Berry With Post-June 1 Designation

“On behalf of my family and the entire Chiefs organization, I want to thank Eric for his many contributions to the Chiefs over the last nine seasons,” Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. “Eric has been a tremendous leader for our football team and an inspiration to so many fans over the years, and we sincerely appreciate all that he has meant to the Chiefs. He will always be an important part of our Chiefs family, and we wish him nothing but the best in the future.”

“We continually evaluate every aspect of our football team and we came to the decision that it was in our best interest to release Eric,” Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach said. “Knowing what Eric has meant to this organization and this city made this an incredibly difficult decision. We wish him nothing but the best.”

“I’d like to thank Eric for his contributions to our team and the Kansas City community over the last nine years,” Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid said. “Seeing his passion and watching his love for the game has been truly remarkable. He’s a special person, and we wish him the best as his career moves forward.”

Berry, 29, is a former first-round pick of the Chiefs back in 2010. He worked his way back from Hodgkin’s lymphoma and managed to produce an impressive 2015 season.

Berry played out his rookie contract with the team before receiving the team’s franchise tag last year. However, the two parties ultimately agreed to a new six-year, $78 million contract that includes $29.8 million guaranteed.

Berry was set to make base salaries of $12.4 million and $9.4 million over the next two years.

According to OverTheCap.com, releasing Berry will free up $9,550,000 of available cap space while creating $6,950,000 in dead money. 

In 2018, Berry appeared in two games and recorded 11 tackles and no interceptions for the Chiefs.