Chiefs retiring in KC not always good

After the Kansas City Chiefs re-signed linebackers Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali, part of the discussion was that both were going to retire as Chiefs, and what a great thing that will be. Whether you agree with the contracts and the numbers handed out to either player or not, this much is certain; the ‘opportunity’ to retire as a member of the Chiefs, or any organization, is usually fools gold and poor investment.

The NFL, much like other leagues, is littered with examples of teams stars finishing their careers with others teams. Emmitt Smith with the Arizona Cardinals, Johnny Unitas with the Chargers, Franco Harris with the Seahawks, Joe Namath with the Rams, Jerry Rice with the Broncos and Steve McNair with the Ravens are just a few examples of players who have retired with organizations other then the teams they made their names and reputations.

Tamba Hali showed just how much father time and injuries have caught up to him this past season. In 15 games, Hali recorded 39 tackles for the season. The highlight of his season came against the quasi-quarterback-less Pittsburgh Steelers when he recorded two sacks and he also recorded two sacks when the Chiefs could do no wrong in San Diego. He finished the season with 6.5 sacks, and none came in games in which Justin Houston missed due to his knee injury.

Next: Was it a good move?