AFRO: It might LOOK like a Peterson move to punk the guy and try to bully him in salary talks, but I think it’d be common sense to bargain fairly hard with him. He almost certainly wants a bigger raise than I’d be willing to offer him. I think, though, that the Chiefs would gladly be starting him and giving him most of the minutes if his health and consistency warranted it.

Other teams know his history as well or better than any of us, and while one might be willing to pay him more than KC would (or should), I don’t see him being worth a 2nd-rounder. Maybe a 3rd-rounder or, better yet, a conditional pick tied to his production in the new venue.

But I think most teams see the writing on the wall with this guy, and only a team in contention while simultaneously in dire straits at LB RIGHT THIS MINUTE would be offering much. I think the ideal scenario is one in which DJ earns his way onto the field by staying healthy, and then doesn’t get too greedy in contract talks.

His numbers are middle-of-the-road, imo. And you have to discount for how often he’s out or playing hurt, because you have bigger depth issues. If he plays out the string and is instrumental in a magical 11 games this year, then fine. But I don’t see that happening.

We’ve all been supporting DJ for a long time and just waiting for him to have that breakout season (“this might just be the year DJ makes the Pro Bowl!”). The reality is that Derrick Johnson might just not have what it takes to be more than mediocre at the NFL level. He is extremely inconsistent and has not been the presence everyone hoped he would be at linebacker.

If we traded away the vast amounts of potential we had in Bernard Pollard and Tyler Thigpen, there’s no reason to not trade DJ and start stockpiling draft picks for the future.

As far as I’m concerned, almost everyone on the team is expendable with the exceptions of Dwayne Bowe, Matt Cassel, Brian Waters, and Dustin Colquitt. That’s not even a top 5 list, ladies and gentlemen.

There aren’t many players on the team anymore that I care about enough to get upset if they are traded. The only players left from when the Chiefs were actually worth a damn are Brian Waters and Larry Johnson. Larry Johnson is no longer worth a damn himself, so that leaves one aging left guard.

We need nearly everything. O-linemen. D-linemen. Linebackers. Wide receivers. Tight ends. Running backs.

Hell, depending on how the rest of the season turns out, we may need a head coach.

If we can get good value for DJ, we should trade him as soon as possible.