Free Agency Hour One Recap: The Revenge Of Scott Pioli
By Ben Nielsen
Oct 27, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dexter McCluster (22) celebrates with the fans after scoring a touchdown during the first half of the game against the Cleveland Browns at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
The first hour of free agency was an intense one for Chiefs fans. In about 60 minutes the Chiefs lost five starters from 2013, including two Pro Bowlers and four former draft picks. Here’s a recap of everything that happened in the first hour of free agency.
BRANDEN ALBERT
Gone. Miami.
Not a surprise here as we’ve been anticipating this for a few days. The Chiefs will have a battle between Eric Fisher and Donald Stephenson for the left tackle spot with the loser either taking the right tackle position, or backing up a new player, possibly from the draft.
DEXTER MCCLUSTER
Gone. Tennessee.
Also not a surprise. The Kansas City Star reported he would be gone on Monday and this came to pass today. At $12 million over three seasons it makes sense why the Chiefs chose not to re-sign him. McCluster got his money.
JON ASAMOAH
Gone. Atlanta.
Here’s the first of the Scott Pioli signings. Atlanta really needed to upgrade their offensive line and they’ve done that by paying nearly $4.5 million per season for Asamoah. That’s a lot of money for a guy who lost his starting position in Kansas City.
GEOFF SCHWARTZ
Gone. New York Giants.
This one hurts a little bit but it makes sense for him to take the money. Kansas City now has a starting right guard position to fill this offseason.
TYSON JACKSON
Gone. Atlanta.
Jackson bolts for Atlanta after SCOTT PIOLI offered him $25 million (!) over five seasons. Holy cow, what is Atlanta thinking? Do not understand how he gets that much money considering he cannot rush the passer. This is a great deal for Jackson and it makes a ton of sense why the Chiefs did not match Atlanta’s offer.
FRANK ZOMBO
Stays.
The Chiefs have not confirmed this yet but there are reports out there that Zombo will be back.
HUSAIN ABDULLAH
Stays.
This too has yet to be confirmed by the Chiefs but Abdullah has tweeted out he is going to be back in KC.
REMAINING FREE AGENTS
There are four Chiefs free agents who are still unsigned: Kendrick Lewis, Quintin Demps, Akeem Jordan, and Kyle Williams. We know Jordan and Williams have been contacted by other teams and the Chiefs are still in the running for Jordan. We do not know much about Lewis or Demps.
SUMMARY
Hey, it isn’t fun losing a bunch of players in one day but none of this should be considered a surprise. None of the players Kansas City lost today are irreplaceable, and now the Chiefs have future cap space to keep guys like Justin Houston and Eric Berry. There is no reason to panic about the way this afternoon went down.
At least not yet, anyway.