NFL Trade Deadline: Will The Chiefs Trade Bowe?
John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE
The NFL trade deadline was moved back to Thursday because of the devastation that hit the East Coast with Hurricane Sandy but regardless of the extra time, will the Kansas City Chiefs make a move?
The hot topic around the league is whether or not GM Scott Pioli will try to move WR Dwayne Bowe. The Chiefs were unable to come to a long-term deal with Bowe this past offseason and so they were forced to place the franchise tag on the WR. This has led to plenty of speculation that Pioli might want to cut ties with Bowe.
To be frank, I would be absolutely shocked if the Chiefs traded Bowe before the deadline. There are plenty of reasons why the trade wouldn’t make sense.
1. Soctt Pioli is on the hot seat.
The Chiefs are terrible and GM Scott Pioli is on the hot seat. If things continue to go south, there is a very good chance Chiefs owner Clark Hunt will decide to move on from Pioli. I seriously doubt that Hunt would allow Pioli to trade away one of the team’s best offensive players just weeks before he turns the organization over to a new regime.
2. Fans might burn down Arrowhead.
Let’s be honest, to say that Chiefs fans are angry right now might be a bit of an understatement. For a team that is constantly labeled as cheap, trading away Bowe would only reinforce that perception. Not to mention that it might be the final straw for fans who are already reaching their wit’s end.
3. They don’t have to.
The Chiefs don’t need to unload Bowe. They hold his rights now and if they aren’t able to come to a long-term deal this offseason, they can franchise Bowe again. It makes the most sense for the Chiefs to let Bowe play out his one-year deal this season and see what the lay of the land is once the offseason arrives.
4. It doesn’t make sense for the team he’d be traded to.
Bowe is on a one-year franchise tag. Trade or no trade, his contract can’t be changed. That means the team that he would be traded to has no guarantee that the WR will sign a long-term deal with them. The new team would have to serve up draft picks to the Chiefs and then negotiate with Bowe at the end of the season. If Bowe doesn’t like his new environment he’d be free to test free agency unless the new club was willing to franchise him.
5. Bowe is worth more than draft picks
The Chiefs offense is terrible. Bowe is way more valuable than any draft pick the Chiefs would get for him in return. KC will likely have a new QB next season and there is a very good chance that it will be a rookie taken in the first round of the draft. Nothing would help out a green QB more than a veteran WR like Bowe. No other WR on the roster has proved to be a consistent threat in regular season games. Baldwin may develop but right now he is a non-factor. Breaston appears to have given up. The Chiefs can’t afford to lose Bowe.
The NFL trade deadline usually has plenty of sizzle but not much ever really happens. The Chiefs are about to be a team in transition. The best course of action will be to finish out the year with the players they have.