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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Veteran defensive end Alex Okafor has signed a one-year contract to return to the Kansas City Chiefs, just days before the first players start showing up at training camp.
The Chiefs did not disclose financial terms when the deal was announced on Tuesday.
Okafor, 30, has 30 sacks and 183 tackles in eight NFL seasons, the last two with the Chiefs. He joined the club as a free agent from New Orleans in March 2019, signing a three-year, $ 18 million contract.
Okafor had an immediate impact helping rebuild the Kansas City defense, registering five sacks and 21 combined tackles in 10 games. A torn pectoral muscle in Week 15 forced him to end the season on the injured list. He missed out on playing in the team’s victory over San Francisco in Super Bowl LIV.
The veteran signed a restructured contract in August 2020 that reduced his salary cap for the upcoming season by $ 2 million and canceled the final year of his original three-year contract.
A hamstring injury limited Okafor to 11 games last season. He finished with three sacks and 16 total tackles. He played a back-up role in the team’s playoffs, recording five total tackles in three playoff games, including a save against Tampa Bay in the team’s 31-9 loss to Super Bowl LV.
Okafor expects to compete for a backup role behind expected starters Frank Clark and Chris Jones as the team’s edge rushers. Competition on the defensive end also includes veteran Taco Charlton, sophomore pro Mike Danna and 2021 fourth-round pick Joshua Kaindoh.
Clark was charged in California with criminal possession of an assault weapon resulting from a traffic stop in March. In June, he was arrested in Los Angeles after police said they saw a machine gun in his car.
Chiefs players start showing up at Missouri Western State University training camp in St. Joseph on Friday.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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