Mitchell Schwartz Says To Blame COVID For His Release, Not Patrick Mahomes

Mitchell Schwartz is no longer an offensive lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs. That doesn't mean he's not still protecting his quarterback though. He's still got Patrick Mahomes' back, metaphorically speaking.

Soon after the team released Schwartz and fellow starting tackle Eric Fisher, criticism followed from every direction. Fans were against the decision, even though they know Kansas City needs to save costs. Releasing Fisher and Schwartz created $18.2 million in cap space.

Some also believe Mahomes did this to himself, that his new contract took up too much cap space, leaving too little money leftover for players like Fisher and Schwartz. That prompted a response from Schwartz, who was quick to point out the truth. His -- and Fisher's -- release was the result of impact felt by COVID-19, not Mahomes.

"This is absurd," Schwartz tweeted. "Look at Pat’s deal compared to any other QB, he set it up to take way less money the first few years than all the rest. We kept everyone we wanted and made the Super Bowl. The pandemic dropped the cap by $25-30 million from the projected amount, blame that not Pat."

Schwartz makes an excellent point.

It's not only about where the cap was last year ($198.2). That in itself was a $15.7 million decrease. It's also about where that number was projected to be in 2021, which was even higher than the $198.2 million.

Seeing Mahomes running for his life in Super Bowl LV was brutal.

As of right now, that looks like it'll be a much more common occurrence in 2021. But that isn't just the fault of the Mahomes. Mahomes completing his rookie deal and forcing the Chiefs to renegotiate certainly contributed, but that's just bad timing.

It's good to see Schwartz take up for his quarterback.

Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.