The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Thursday that they’ve parted ways with left tackle and former No. 1 overall pick Eric Fisher and All-Pro right tackle Mitchell Schwartz.
Fisher tore his Achilles in the AFC Championship Game and was unable to play in the Super Bowl against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Schwartz has been recovering from back surgery that kept him out during the Chiefs’ playoff run.
With their releases, the Chiefs save $18.3 million against the 2021 salary cap — and are now just $4.3 million over, according to Spotrac. NFL teams are tasked with finding their way under the salary cap before the new league year begins on March 17.
The Chiefs drafted Fisher, 30, with the first overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Fisher started his NFL career as a right tackle before transitioning back to left tackle, locking down the position for the next seven seasons. In total, Fisher started in 113 regular-season and 11 playoff games for the Chiefs.
The Chiefs acquired Schwartz, 31, through free agency in 2016. As the Chiefs noted in their goodbye tweet, Schwartz maintained 7,894 consecutive snap streak in Kansas City until it came to an end in 2019. His consecutive-start streak ended at 134 in 2020 when his back flared up during a Week 6 game against the Buffalo Bills.
