Chiefs Cut 3 Time All-Pro Safety Eric Berry

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs began free agency Wednesday by cutting one of their most popular players in strong safety Eric Berry, who was a dynamic presence when he was healthy but had missed significant time throughout his care

While other teams were touting new additions, the Chiefs announced Berry’s release shortly after the start of the new league year. He would have been guaranteed $7.5 million of salary on Friday.

A three-time All-Pro, Berry was the Chiefs’ first-round pick in the 2010 draft, and he quickly became a star, earning the first of five Pro Bowl invitations as a rookie. But he also missed most of the 2011 season with torn knee ligaments, most of the 2017 season with a torn Achilles’ tendon, and nearly all of last season, when a mysterious heel injury kept him off the field for all but two games.