Kansas City Chiefs: Three New Year's Resolutions For 2015

The Kansas City Chiefs proved you can have a winning record – minus key units on offense. They also proved jumping out to a fast start does not always mean a fast ending to the season.

After riding high with a 24-20 win against Seattle in November, the team free fell, dropping four of the remaining six games on the schedule. The 9-7 record was decent, but not good enough to claim a playoff spot and certainly not good enough to challenge Denver for supremacy in the AFC West.

All of that might change in 2015. The Chiefs have many topics to address in the off-season – Justin Houston being the main one. The receivers were pitiful last season and the attempt to find them in the end zone was just as bad. Add to that a sputtering offense that relied too much on the running game and not enough on Alex Smith winning games, not managing them.

The free agency period could be a big bust for the team unless it can take some money off the top. That does not bode well for Houston unless big contracts are eliminated or reworked.

According to Adam Teicher of ESPN.com, The Chiefs have about $125.5 million of salary cap commitments for their 39 players under contract for 2015. The salary limit this year is about $133 million per team and could increase to more than $140 million next year.

The Chiefs could realize a cap savings of $9 million next year if they release linebacker Tamba Hali, whose cap number in 2015 is almost $12 million. They would save $7 million against their 2015 cap by releasing cornerback Brandon Flowers. He has a 2015 cap number of $11.5 million.

Other possible places to cut next year include at backup quarterback. If the Chiefs believe Tyler Bray is ready next year to be the top backup, they could save $3.8 million against their 2015 cap by releasing Chase Daniel. The 2015 release of wide receiver Donnie Avery would immediately shave $3.55 million from Kansas City's salary cap.

The summer months will prove to be just as exciting as the football on the field. Here are three resolutions this team must follow to make the upcoming season a winning one for the organization.