KC Chiefs trade Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to Jets for tight end, gain $1M cap space
The Chiefs have parted ways with veteran right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.
The Chiefs on Tuesday traded the medical doctor from Canada to the New York Jets in exchange for backup tight end Dan Brown.
Duvernay-Tardif entered the league in 2014 out of McGill University in Canada, where he earned his medical degree. He was a sixth-round NFL Draft pick by the Chiefs. He became a starter in 2014 and appeared in 60 regular-season games, making 57 starts.
After opting out the 2020 season to help fight on the front lines against the COVID-19 pandemic in his native country, Duvernay-Tardif returned to Kansas City this season. But he lost his starting job to rookie Trey Smith and was designated as healthy but inactive for the Chiefs’ first seven games.
Duvernay-Tardif was active Monday night against the New York Giants but didn’t record a snap. The game marked his first appearance on the Chiefs’ active roster for a game since they played in and won Super Bowl LIV in February 2020.
The trade of Duvernay-Tardif saves the Chiefs an estimated $1 million in cap space.
Brown entered the league in 2015 as an undrafted free agent out of James Madison University with the Baltimore Ravens. He also spent time with the Chicago before joining the Jets in 2019.
The 6-foot-5, 247-pound Brown has appeared in 81 games with 12 starts in his career, recording 44 catches for 420 yards and two touchdowns. Brown mostly contributed on special teams while with the Jets and should provide depth to the Chiefs’ tight ends group, which recently lost Jody Fortson to a season-ending Achilles injury.
Tuesday afternoon’s final hours ahead of the NFL trade deadline were busy ones for the Chiefs. In addition to trading Duvernay-Tardif, they acquired outside linebacker Melvin Ingram.
The NFL Network first reported the news of Duvernay-Tardif’s trade.
