Mitchell Schwartz

Reigning AFC champions Kansas City, who were defeated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl, have also released starting right tackle Mitchell Schwartz.

It has been reported by NFL sources that the Chiefs will save between $12million and $18m against the salary cap by cutting the duo.

Left tackle Fisher was the first overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft. He has played a key role in the Chiefs' success in recent seasons, with Kansas City reaching the playoffs in seven of his eight campaigns with the franchise.

After helping the Chiefs to a Super Bowl win in the 2019 season, Fisher was missing as Kansas went down 31-9 to Tom Brady's Tampa last month, having torn his Achilles tendon in the AFC Championship Game.

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for both Eric and Mitchell," Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said.

"With Eric, obviously he was the very first player that we drafted when we got to Kansas City, and we were able to watch him grow into a solid tackle for us for many years.

"With Mitchell, his durability and toughness is remarkable and he certainly left his mark on our team. These decisions are never easy, especially with guys like these, but both of these players will forever be a part of our history."

Fisher made a total of 117 appearances, with 113 coming as starts – 11 of those starts were in postseason games.

He made two Pro Bowl selections, in 2018 and 2020, while Schwartz – who struggled with a back injury last year – spent five seasons with the Chiefs after joining from the Cleveland Browns in 2016.

Schwartz started 70 regular-season games, and played from the off in Kansas City's Super Bowl triumph.

Schwartz, 33, started 134 straight games before injuring his back in October 2020.

He underwent surgery the following February and sat out last season while undergoing rehabilitation.

On Thursday, he confirmed he has decided to call it a day, but has no regrets over the decision.

"I'm currently feeling as good as I have since then, but it’s clear my body won’t ever be the same," Schwartz said on Twitter.

"The nerve pain down my legs is no longer a daily occurrence, but it might never fully go away."

Schwartz was a second-round draft choice by the Cleveland Browns in 2012 and was an opening-day starter, beginning a streak of 7,894 consecutive snaps played.

That streak continued into his career with the Chiefs, with whom he signed as a free agent in 2016.

Schwartz was named to the All-Pro First Team in 2018 and was named a second-team All-Pro three times, in 2016, 2017, 2019.

With Schwartz starting at right tackle, the Chiefs amassed a 51-19 regular-season record and hoisted the Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers in February 2020.

"I've enjoyed so much about my time in the NFL and am walking away feeling very fulfilled," Schwartz's statement continued.

"Winning the Super Bowl was the pinnacle of my career. My 7,894 consecutive snaps streak and four All-Pro nominations are my proudest individual accomplishments, far exceeding my own expectations."

Schwartz thanked his wife Brooke for making his career possible, along with multiple coaches and mentors, but his praise of Andy Reid was gushing.

"[Reid] is the best coach you can ask for and an even better person. It was a privilege to sit in those meetings and hear him speak. It is special being a part of his offense and football team," he said.

Schwartz said that he will continue to produce his "Mitch in the Kitch" video series, which airs on multiple platforms, and plans to continue living in Kansas City.

"My last thank you is to Kansas City and all the Chiefs fans," Schwartz said. "It has been a privilege to represent you on and off the field.

"The bond I've formed with this city and the people here lasts forever."

Though the Niners are viewed as the team with the vaunted defense, and the Chiefs the explosive offense, the reality is San Francisco scored more points per game during the regular season (29.9 to 28.2) while Kansas City allowed fewer (19.3 to 19.4).

To preview Super Bowl LIV, we used Stats Perform's advanced analytics and data analysis to profile the area where the game is likely to be won and lost - in the trenches.

SAN FRANCISCO'S FRONT FOUR v KANSAS CITY'S OFFENSIVE LINE

The Chiefs have aired the ball out on offense over the past two postseasons, and Patrick Mahomes' career playoff passer rating is 115.00 - the highest of all time among quarterbacks with at least 100 passing attempts.

He might be slowed down if the Niners' front four can continue their excellent pass-rushing production across the regular season and playoffs, though.

According to Stats Perform's metric for adjusted pressure on pass-rush opportunities, rookie Nick Bosa has generated pressure 26.6 per cent of time this season - way higher than his expected pressure rate of 13.1 per cent.

Former Chief Dee Ford, used almost exclusively as a situational pass rusher, also performs well (26.1 per cent compared to an expected pressure rate of 12.4 per cent), while both DeForest Bucknerand Arik Armstead(19.8 per cent and 18.8 per cent) also way exceeded their expected pressure rate (10.8 and 11.5 per cent).

Mahomes' two tackles will therefore be key, and while one has excelled, the other has struggled.

Right tackle Mitchell Schwartz has allowed pressures on only 6.23 per cent of his 369 pass-protection opportunities, having been expected to give up pressure on 10.74 per cent of those snaps.

Schwartz has performed way better than the Niners' two bookends Joe Staleyand Mike McGlinchey in the allowed pressures category (10.08 per cent and 10.73 per cent).

However, where Bosa et al may have more joy is against former first-overall pick Eric Fisher. The left tackle, who only played half of the regular-season games due to injury, allowed pressure on 17.50 per cent of his 160 pass-protection opportunities - considerably higher than any offensive lineman playing on Sunday.

Look for 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh to attack the weakness on that Chiefs line - Mahomes' blindside.

SAN FRANCISCO'S RUSHING ATTACK V KANSAS CITY'S RUN STUFFERS

This postseason the 49ers have 44.5 rushing attempts per game - the most of any team in a single postseason since 1976. The Niners clearly want to run the ball. A lot.

The men tasked with clogging up gaps and making that a less-than-appealing strategy are Kansas City's defensive tackles Chris Jones, Derrick Nnadi and Mike Pennel.

When it comes to Stats Perform's run-disruptions metric - which measures how often a player disrupts a designed run play - Jones and Pennel excel.

From his 184 run snaps, Jones has produced disruptions 27.2 per cent of the time, considerably more than his expected disruption rate of 15.3 per cent.

Pennel, who has proven to be a nice pickup since joining in October, produced disruptions on 27.3 per cent of his 55 run snaps, with Nnadi at 19.8 per cent.

When it comes to the 49ers' rushing attack, San Francisco tend to ride the hot hand. Matt Breida led the team in yardage on the ground in September, Tevin Coleman had that honour in October and November, and Raheem Mostert has been the most productive back in December and the postseason.

Mostert has had 194 touches of the ball in the regular season and playoffs - more than any other skill-position player involved at Super Bowl LIV.

He has forced missed tackles on 24.2 per cent of those touches, the second best among running backs in the NFL.

Should he be asked to carry the load in Miami, he may be advised to run away from Jones and Pennel.