Who will the Chiefs sign during the Free Agency Period And Why?
With Free Agency looming just around the corner, the Chiefs will have to make a decision on who they will sign to a contract that will best help them win a Super Bowl this year. That is the goal, right? Winning the Super Bowl? Sometimes I wonder.
Herm Edwards has made some comments recently about the type of Free Agent the Chiefs will be looking for this off season. First off, he made the following comment courtesy of War Paint Illustrated-
“Let’s say you draft 10. You’re going to maybe sign three free agents.”
Now, that seems to me like an odd ball thing to say. Not putting a limit on the amount of FA’s you are planning on signing, but to make the number, any number, public knowledge. I don’t want to say that Herm messed up and said something he shouldn’t have, but maybe he revealed something to us.
Let’s say for the heck of it, Herm did slip up just a little when he made those comment that the Chiefs are targeting three free agents this year. Who are they? All the usual pundits have made comments that the Chiefs are going to focus on corner backs and offensive line during the free agency period. OK- sounds good to me. Ty Law is reportedly going to be cut, it’s only a matter of time and the Chiefs will stick with Patrick Surtain for at least one more year (sigh). So let’s narrow it down some more and say the Chiefs will sign an Offensive Tackle, an Offensive Guard and a Corner Back.
My guess for the offensive tackle spot will be Max Starks from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even though the Steelers slapped him with one of those dreaded “Tags“, this one in particular allows the Steelers to match any offer made to Mr. Starks, “right of first refusal” so to speak. The Chiefs, or any other team for that matter, that wanted to sign Max to a contract would not have to give up any type of compensation to the Steelers. However, if the Steelers wanted to match the offer, then so be it, Max stays in Black and Gold. Signing Max Starks by the Chiefs or any other team could get messy, just like the Steve Hutchinson deal did when Minnesota signed him a couple years back. The “poison pill” clause that allowed Minny to sign Hutch away from Seattle was followed by much debate about the validity of it both morally and legally. I’m not going into now (because I don’t understand all the legaleeze) and I don’t want to. But I just brought this up to make you aware that the same thing could happen with Starks when and if he signs somewhere else this offseason.
I still believe the Chiefs will target Jake Long during the draft. But, of course, there are no gurantees he will be there for the Chiefs when they pick at the number 5 spot (right Redbeard). So, that being said; who cares? McIntosh didn’t play all that well, yeah yeah, he was injuried-boo hoo. Regardless, the Chiefs need depth at the tackle position and Starks fits the mold the best that are left to pick from. Whether the Chiefs draft OT this year or not, they need to sure it up and cover their butts during free agency.
I’m really torn about the next two, a corner back and a guard. I’m not 100% sure there is a guard out there that the Chiefs like for the type of offense they will go with this year. A lot of people were hoping Ryan Lilja from Indy would come back to KC, but the Colts quickly put an end to that rumor by signing him to a long term deal.
I still hold true to the fact that KC will sign a corner back and guard, but I’m not sure we will recognize the name right off the bat when the news hits the web. I don’t think the Chiefs will spend the money on corner back this year after pissing their money away with the signing of Ty Law and Patrick Surtain in recent years. Both were and are obviously past their prime respectively and need to be let go. I have said it a 1000 times- “shut down” corners don’t exist anymore because the rules are slanted towards the offense side of the ball. Plus, corner backs are not as important as safeties in a cover two or “Tampa 2” employed by Herm Edwards and Gunther Cunningham. If Gunther had more control over the type of D he wanted to play, I might see it, but with Herm over-seeing the defense I look for the Chiefs to sign a 2nd tier corner back to compete to play opposite Surtain this year.
So, who are your bets for free agency this year? Anybody you are hoping the Chiefs sign? Hope they don’t sign? Let’s hear it.
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The ‘poison pill’ for hutchinson was just that in the contract he had to be the highest paid player on the o-line. The seahawks couldn’t match this because Walter Jones was being paid more, they also paid hutchinson a large amount the first year, which the hawks couldn’t match because of the salary cap. I don’t think Max Starks, not being a full time starter, would fall into either of these categories, a team would have to be pretty damn clever to ‘poison pill’ him. Basically it seems we’re just going to have to outbid other teams, and given the nature of the Chiefs, that seems unlikely, but I hope we do.
Thanks Jay….I’m sure there are guys and gals on the staff of these NFL teams that can come up with some pretty good loop holes to sign someone they really want. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Wishlist: D.Hall ( Dude! He’s 24 and great!) Max Starx ( I THINK he’d wanna play in this system. Not to mention on the same line as Brian Waters… Plus, hes a 26 yr old OT!). Allen Faneca ( He’ll be pricey, but I believe we need 2 or 3 good vets on our line). Jonathon Vilma ( Tackling machine. Plus, lets give Donnie a break and put him at MLB). I Doubt This, BUT . . . . I really wanna pickup Donte Stallworth. Its reach, but our down field threat would be crazy, man.
Also… I read that Flozelle Adams will be testing the waters of Free Agency this off-season. He had a huge year and I think would be cheaper than Faneca.
But to backup a point… I would love to sign Faneca (as a lot of you may agree)… If we sign him then, I think it’ll pull Starx in with him and possibly vice versa… Its like fishing and catching 1 fish with a 2nd fish clamped on thd 1st fish’s phin. Hahaha!
1) OT Max Starks (from Pittsburgh) to a 2-3 yr contract, 2) OG Jake Scott (from Indy) to 3 or more year deal, and 3) either LB Lance Briggs (from Bears), CB Randall Gay (from Pats) or WRs Bryant Johnson (from Cards) / Drew Carter (from Panthers). I’d also be happy with Faneca, I just don’t believe it’s going to happen because of his age and the “beer budget” mentality. Keeping FA costs down this year makes sense at one level in that we will have 10 picks this year and it seems strategically wise to try to put the team in a position where they could have even more cap space next year.
I read somewhere this morning (can’t find it now) where the writer was talking about the market for FA WR would be down this year. Maybe the Chiefs try to sign a WR to compliment Bowe???
Starks is a good target and I believe a realistic one…….I don’t want any of this years FA guards…….I think DeAngelo Hall would be a perfect fit……….since you said three and I don’t want a guard – my third would be J. Vilma…….man he is a stud and I think he would take a "somewhat" lower price tag just to get out of New York and to be reunited with Herm……..Hey here is a question, if we use some of our draft picks to get guys like Hall & Vilma like what I want……then does that free up enough money for me to make a 4th free agent request to get a WR like Hackett?
By the way - ROC27 you and I are thinking alot alike on this one …… my only difference is Faneca (I want him – I really do) He is going to cost too much money
I think we will be interested in Maurice Williams OT of Jax. I do think they will bring in Drayton Florence (CB) of SD, and I heard a rumor of an interest for trade of JP Losman of Buf (sigh…). I personally would like to see Williams (OT) in KC Red. I think he would be a wonderful fit. GO CHIEFS
Hey redbeard… if you’re so sure that Jake Long will be gone by the time the Chiefs select 5th, how about a little bet. I get to kick you right in the nuts if you’re wrong. Or you can kick me in the nut if i’m wrong. Sound Good?
Is Williams a natural LT or would we play him on the Right?
Hey one nut – I am not sure that is a bet you want to take
I don’t want to see the Chiefs grab anyone they will need to trade for (i.e. DeAngelo Hall). I don’t want to see them sign anymore 31-33 yr old O-Lineman (i.e. Faneca or Adams). I do not want to see them overspend on a position they don’t need (i.e. sign Lance Briggs). Lastly I don’t want to see them sign system guys (i.e. Jake Scott or Chris Myers). Guys on my list right away areJosh Brown-Signing a premiere kicker would be huge and in the big scheme of things, fairly cheap.Rocky Boiman-A 28 year old special teams standout and solid backup LB. Has significant experience in the Cover 2.Andre Davis-A bit older than I want to see (30) but he did an admirable job as a WR and was a great KR last year. Solidifying the special teams would help out the offense and defense greatly. Rex Hadnot-26 yr old RG/C 6′3" 325Jeff Faine-27 yr old C 6′1" 291……Nasty Demeanor.Braynt Johnson-27 yr old WR 6′3" 217…….Deep threat.Asante Samuel or Max Starks-Can’t have bothIf we don’t sign Samuel, I like Randall Gay.
Maurice Williams just turned 29 years old in January and is a natural Right Tackle. FYI.
So Jeremy – what would you rather have…….Sign a LT and move McIntosh to the Right side….or sign a RT (Williams) and leave McIntosh at the Left spot?
One Nut! Hahaha! That was funny. . . Anyway, Dave, youre right. We DO see eye to eye with this… I havent had anyone comnent on the Vilma scenerio yet. But I think it’d be great for us and keep Nap ar a reserve. And what a great reserve to have in Nap Harris… I STILL think if we sign any big names, it SHOULD be D. Hall. I would love to bring Faneca to Arrowhead. But we’ll just have to see.
And Derrick… Thats kinda been what we’ve been speaking against the past couple of weeks… We cant keep signing these no name, mediocre, special team / 2nd or 3rd string guys simply for the sake of competition. Sure, we want to be competitive, but we also wanna win. And if theres guys out there that we KNOW will help us WIN, then why not grab ‘em if we can.
Although, I DO agree with the Josh Brown idea.
Dave, what I want and what is most likely to occur considering money and big contracts are two different things. I would say sign Maurice Williams, keep him at RT and keep Mcintosh at LT. Draft a tackle in the first round and let him try to beat out MCintosh/Williams. If that happens move Williams to Guard and Mcintosh to RT. Williams played guard for JAX too, and Jax line made plenty of holes for Taylor and Jones-Drew. I think this is the more realistic approach.
I neglected to answer the “why” part of my selections. I like Max Starks because he is still young, he appears to be at that critical stage where he is just beginning to develop into a solid LT, his presence will add much needed strength and depth to the line, he should be the right kind of competition that you want for incoming rookies to develop behind, acquiring him will will provide us with more and better options in the draft and lastly, he should be available for a reasonable price. Virtually the same justifications apply to Jake Scott. As for Briggs, I am beginning to be persuaded away from my original advocacy for him by some of the arguments being put forth however I still believe that one should never overlook any opportunity to improve one’s team and I believe he is the caliber of player to do that. Gay makes sense to me because we need to replace Law, he’s certainly good enough for the cover 2, it’s generally smarter to utilize veterans over younger players in the CB position, and he should be affordable. At WR, I consider Johnson and Carter as the 2 best #2 receivers currently in FA and both have the speed and skills to provide us with the deep threat we currently lack. Then again, who knows, maybe Webb or somebody that we draft will emerge as that guy?
Derrick…good points.Rex Hadnot…that is a good call…I forgot about him.
I’m telling you what. I would be doing back flips (not really, while I am semi-athletic, I cannot do a back flip), if the Chiefs came out of FA with Hadnot and Starks, then draft Jake Long (who will be there @ #5). So maybe DMac could play guard or back up tackle.
Well put Double D… I actually agree withe Jake Scott suggestion… But Im still bumbed that we wont get the OTHER Indy guy ( Lilja)… And here we are again, talking Max Starks! We have to get this guy! It makes sense… and if we can somehow see to it to snatch up Jake Long… hahaha. . . Pure domination! I wanna go back to seeing red helmets on the starting offensive line at the Pro Bowl again!
Jake Scott is a bad idea. Why is everyone ignoring Maurice Williams (29 year old OT)? Can any show me evidence that he is no good or cannot play. Read up on him. He is a realistic option.
Jeremy – I am not ignoring Williams…..to be honest I am a little curious……I was asking about what position he plays earlier because I really want McIntosh to play on the right side…….Still don’t know what I think of Williams, but I am looking at him….as I am sure the Chiefs are as well
Yeah, Jeremy. Im NOT disregarding Williams either. I just havent seen much of him…
Please add my voice to the chorus of those wanting to see Hadnot in a red uni. I’m not saying he’s a premier lineman by any stretch but he certainly would add much needed depth AT BOTH TACKLE AND GUARD POSITIONS. And . . . he can probably be had for practically nothing.
I hope my last post did not come off harsh. No offense to anyone, especially Dave and Roc27. I would love to see the big name guys, but Herm has said publicly he does not want 30 something guys and big name guys. Just like Mcintosh last year, I think the Chiefs should and could seriously consider Maurice Williams. He is not a big name, thus not a huge contract, and just turned 29. He makes since and fits Herm’s profile. Listen, we need serious help on the O-line. We were dead frickin last in running offense last year. This guy could be a good player for us for 3/5 years. He is not a sexy pick, nor does he have the great name, but he is better than anything we have at Right tackle now, and has experience with a run first offense. He played Guard last year but has started at Right tackle for 85 starts. http://www.nfl.com/players/mauricewilliams/profile?id=WIL435377 We still will draft O-line man. (I hate to sound like a broken record, so I am not going to mention him anymore. lol.) Go Chiefs!
The Chiefs have been rumored to be trading to move up, with of all teams MIAMI…lol giving back the third round pick we recieved…lol , this seems wierd to me but I have seen more hillarious moves…(doing so would only be if they wanted Long that badly), however I dont see Carl doing so and giving up a great third round for us this year to get one player
I hope it is just a rumor, as what we have coming this year is close to having two first and second rounders… really fellow fans it is almost like that
I was thinking how great it’d be to pickup Shaun Rogers and then drafting either Ellis or Dorsey… (preferably Dorsey)… That is IF we dont have Jake Long in front of us or a reason to trade down (Run DMC)… Think about that… Allen, Rogers, Dorsey, Hali! That would be mEnslaughter on national television.
Roc27, my new post comments on Briggs and Vilma. Not a big fan, let’s just say. We don’t need to spend money on another backer–we are stacked there.
I used to cover the Dolphins, so I’ll be the first to let everyone know that Rex Hadnot would be John Welbourn all over again. He’s just not very talented.
Big post on the free agent campaigns and our preposed draft strategy coming tomorrow. I’ll just say that I will be looking at guys like Jake Scott and Mo Williams as well. Stay tuned…
Jeremy – don’t worry about it man….we all have people we want….stick to your guns…if you want Williams then push him all you want…I want Vilma and no one can convince me other wise (not even you Adam) HAHAHA!……And don’t worry about offending me….posts go back and forth (I personally really enjoyed my "one nut" comment)
Yeah, Jeremy… Dont sweat it. But Im kinda taking your word for it. If anyone is better than what we have in the O-Line… then Im all for it. … I KNOW it MAY seem like Im just for picking up Big Name guys… but really I know my football. I know my (our) Chiefs. I can REALLY see the guys I want on the team as guys who can contribute to a winning season… Starks could be a great RT for us. I think Allen Faneca still has a good 3 years left in him. I think he, like Brian Waters would be great motivation for younger guys we pickup or already have. I see DeAngelo Hall being as good if not better than he was in ATL, with us. I think Herm can really create a good relationship with Hall. In which would keep him motivated to play his heart out, every game… Plus… HE’S TWENTY- FREAKIN’- FOUR years old!!! You cant ask for a better age or a better available CB. I STILL want Stallworth, cause I think he’d be a great #2 in our system. He’s fast, rund his routes, and in my opinion, would be a great compliment to D.Bowe… I dont just think, "OH! Big Name! And he’s available! Lets get him!" I dont want Lance Briggs. I dont want us to chase after Chad Johnson. I would love to try to grab Asante Samuel, but I dont really care whether we get him or not… Im not about Big Names. Im about players who I see can help us where we can use them.
Adam-I’ll take your word on Hadnot, I don’t know him, just heard about him. I will not be disappointed in any OLinemen the Chiefs sign or draft, I will consider it a blessing. ROC27–the knock on Shaun Rogers is-he is good when he wants to be- Not always the best team mate and doesnt’ give 100% all the time. Has gone from a 3 down DLinemen to a 2 down. Needs to keep the weight down and get his desire back. Would be intesting though, Rogers and Dorsey…that would free up the LB’s!
Roc27….why would you not want to upgrade our special teams? We couldn’t make field goals, we couldn’t return kicks, and we struggle to cover kicks. Croyle deserves a competent line and solid special teams and defensive play. Bottomline football has 3 phases (offense, special teams, and defense), and the Chiefs were bad at two (bad at all three in the 4th qtr). Poor special teams play though not as criticized was a major part of having such a poor season.
Derrick… I NEVER said that I DIDNT wanna upgrade our Special Teams… Yeah, there are 3 phases in the game. Ok. Youre not telling me anything I dont already know… BUT I DID agree with you to signing Josh Brown ( See Comment #19). And as far as the return game, I dont think its anything we cant work on through the draft, picking up a CB or WR (Jordy Nelson or Chevis Jackson.)
Adam, how long ago did you cover the Dolphins? And what specifically did you see or not see there that led you to be less than impressed with Hadnot? From my perspective, I see a guy who has started all 16 games for 3 years in a row and as far as I can tell has been Miami’s most consistent lineman. He plays center, guard, and I think he’s also back up at tackle – couldn’t we use a little depth at all 3? He seems to me to have above average skills at in-line blocking blocking and even better as a pulling guard. I mean aren’t those the kind of skills that the Chiefs currently lack but could really us. Help me out here???
One other thing perhaps worth mentioning – USA Today recently included Hadnot among their “Valued 7″ free agency list.
Roc…….you said you didn’t want to sign mediocre 2nd/3rd string special teams players for the sake of competition. Well I never said sign anyone for the sake of competition, I said sign Boiman (who is an upgrade as both a backup LB and a great special teams player), I said sign Andre Davis (a great KR who did a good job as the #2 option when Johnson was hurt), and sign Josh Brown (one of the premiere kickers). You said you wanted to upgrade through the draft, but unfortunately retrun specialists are now high picks (1st day picks), kickers (see Justin Medlock) are not guarantees, and quality backup linebackers are hard to find in the draft because usually a high IQ comes from experience. With all that being said you also have to realize our main holes (OL and CB) and alot of our minor holes (FB, WR, DL, and TE) need to all be filled in the draft as well.
Look, Derrick, if youre trying to call me out, Im fine with that. Cause I told you before and I’ll tell you again… Youre NOT telling me something I dont ALREADY know. I KNOW our main holes. I KNOW our minor holes… and if you’ve read my comments, then you’d know that Ive BEEN hollering Starks! D. Hall! Faneca! T. Richardson, Stallworth, B.Johnson, Shaun Rogers! Why? cause I Know What This team needs.
And I NEVER said anything about drafting a return specialist… I DID though say and want to draft a Joshua Cribbs type of player who is great at CB AND KR… THATS what Im Hoping in drafting a certain WR or CB.