Chiefs Almost Signed Reggie Wayne, Says Report

The Kansas City Chiefs put a big focus on signing wide receivers this offseason and according to a recent report from Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star, they nearly signed one of the most productive receivers in NFL history.

Reggie Wayne.

"The Chiefs’ Romeo Crennel, like most head coaches, prefers veteran players over younger ones, everything else being equal. The Chiefs attempted to sign more veteran players during the offseason. They came close to adding wide receiver Reggie Wayne before he decided to remain with the Colts.In a more publicized failure, the Chiefs whiffed on their attempt to interest quarterback Peyton Manning, who instead signed with the division-rival Broncos."

Wow. I might have missed it but I don’t remember hearing that rumor.

It makes sense that the Chiefs were pursuing Wayne. Their receiver situation has left a lot to be desired in recent years and Wayne would have added a strong veteran presence to a young group of wide-outs.

Wayne is 33 but still managed to catch 75 balls for nearly 1,000 yards in 2011, despite playing without QB Peyton Manning.

Teicher’s report doesn’t indicate if KC’s interest in Wayne was connected to their interest in Manning but you have to believe that was at least part of the equation.

Scott Pioli seemed to really doubling down this offseason in an effort to add depth at multiple positions. You can argue that Peyton Hillis and Kevin Boss, along with many of the team’s draft picks were all insurance policies for some of KC’s most important players. After a 2011 season that showed how shallow the KC roster was, Pioli did a nice job of reinforcing his roster.

Wayne, however, decided to remain a Colt. I am sure that getting the chance to play with the highly touted Andrew Luck had something to do with it. Still, Wayne’s best shot at one more championship may have come in another town.

What do you think, Addicts? Are you mad that the Chiefs missed out on Wayne or would you only have wanted him if he came in a package deal with Peyton Manning?