KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs released veteran right tackle Jawaan Taylor, whose track record of penalties often overshadowed his otherwise solid play in Kansas City, hours after agreeing to trade cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams on Wednesday.
While the decision to trade McDuffie was made in large part for the draft capital they received in return, the decision to part with Taylor was driven by the salary cap.
The Chiefs saved $20 million by releasing him ahead of the new league year.
The Chiefs had already worked down their salary cap total by releasing veteran defensive end Mike Danna and restructuring the contract of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Those moves collectively allowed Kansas City to not only get under the cap but created some flexibility to address a number of pressing needs when free agency begins next week.
Taylor had one year left on the four-year, $80 million deal he signed in 2023, when the Chiefs were working to rebuild their offensive line. He helped them win the Super Bowl that season and return to the championship game the following year, but he also committed 49 penalties in 45 games with the Chiefs, more than any other offensive lineman during his tenure.
The Chiefs are expected to start Jaylon Moore at right tackle next season. It will be the second year of his two-year, $30 million deal.
Earlier in the day, the Chiefs agreed with the Rams on a trade that will send McDuffie to the NFC and net Kansas City the 29th overall pick in this year's draft, along with fifth- and sixth-rounders this year and a third-round pick next year.
Three people confirmed the deal to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it was not yet finalized.
McDuffie was a first-round pick in 2022 and entering the final year of his rookie contract, due to make $13.6 million for this coming season. But given the Chiefs' financial situation, it would have been difficult to sign McDuffie to the kind of long-term deal the former All-Pro was seeking, so the Chiefs opted instead to trade him for a package of draft picks.
It is not unlike the move they made in 2022, when they traded wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins. The Chiefs used the package of draft picks they got in return to rebuild their roster with younger players who helped them to three straight Super Bowls.
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FILE - Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor (74) gets set to block Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller (40) during an NFL football game, Dec. 10, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Peter Aiken, File)
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain's Pedro Sánchez has once again emerged as Europe's most consistently vocal critic of U.S. President Donald Trump, drawing his ire for refusing to allow the American military to stage operations for its attacks on Iran from Spanish military bases.
Trump lashed out at the Spanish prime minister on Tuesday, saying he would “ cut off all trade with Spain " in retaliation for the affront. The spat intensified the next day when Spain's foreign minister contradicted a claim by the White House press secretary that Spain had heard Trump's message “loud and clear" and was cooperating with the U.S. military.
While denouncing the repressive government in Tehran, Sánchez said he would not back a war that he said was an unjustified assault.
“We are not going to be complicit in something that is bad for the world and is also contrary to our values and interests, just out of fear of reprisals from someone,” Sánchez said, using the slogan “No to the war” in a speech this week.
The tussle over the Spanish military bases is likely more a diplomatic question than one of military consequence. The U.S. has bases across Europe and the Middle East, and other European countries have agreed to cooperate.
Madrid and Washington have had stable, friendly and mostly low-key relations for decades, starting in the 20th century when the U.S. began sharing military bases with Spain when the latter was still under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.
Sánchez, 54, first took power in 2018 and is one of Europe's most prominent left-leaning leaders.
He has stuck by the pillars of progressive politics, defending feminism, authorized immigration, human rights, the rules-based international order and the importance of climate change — all topics that have become punching bags of Trump’s MAGA movement and far-right politicians in many European neighbors.
Even before the Iran war, Sánchez has stood out as an ideological rival to Trump on a number of issues.
Sánchez has been among the most vocal critics of Israel’s military action in Gaza. He has consistently criticized the massive civilian causalities from Israel's campaign following Hamas’ surprise attack on Israeli territory in 2023.
“This is not self-defense, it’s not even an attack — it’s the extermination of a defenseless people," he said, while touring Europe and the Middle East to try to broker a peace deal.
Among NATO members, Spain was the only country to refuse to agree to commit to increasing military spending to 5% of gross domestic product. Sánchez secured a last-minute exemption in a NATO meeting last year, saying that Spain will only spend up to 2.1%, which he called “sufficient and realistic.”
Trump responded by floating the idea that Spain should be kicked out of the military bloc. That has so far remained a veiled threat.
While many European countries raised barriers at their borders and the Trump administration broadened an immigrant crackdown in the U.S., Spain is in the process of granting work and residency permits to half a million foreigners already in Spain.
Sánchez has pointedly alluded to Trump as he extolled the benefits of migration for the country’s strong economy.
“MAGA-style leaders may say that our country can’t handle taking in so many migrants — that this is a suicidal move, the desperate act of a collapsing country," he wrote in a recent New York Times op-ed. "But don’t let them fool you. Spain is booming.”
Under Sánchez, Spain has joined countries like Australia and France in trying to curb the use of social media among younger teens. That’s in direct contrast to the Trump administration’s embrace of Big Tech companies and what they consider the defense of the freedom of speech on social media.
Elon Musk, X’s owner, lashed out at the Spanish leader last month, calling Sánchez “the true fascist totalitarian” after he announced a plan to prohibit under 16-year-olds from accessing social media accounts.
AP journalist Suman Naishadham contributed from Madrid.
FILE - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez attends a session of parliament in Madrid, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)
