Nov 24, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Donnie Avery (17) catches a touchdown pass against San Diego Chargers cornerback Derek Cox (22) in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Donnie Avery, WR
Previous Team: Indianapolis Colts
Contract Details: Three-year, $8.55 Million
2014 Cap Hit: $2.85 Million
Grade: B
This one is tough because at the outset of the signing, it looked brilliant. Avery was signed for next to nothing — at least as far as wide receivers are concerned — and filled a big need with the Chiefs. However, even coming in, he didn’t have the WR2 position locked down until midway through preseason when former Chief Jon Baldwin fell out of favor with Reid and was summarily traded to the 49ers. At that point, the deal looked like a blessing, because the Chiefs had a decent second receiver for a low cost.
The problem with this signing was that Avery had injury concerns coming in as well as a serious case of dropping the ball. Still, Avery made some very clutch catches this season. In fact, at one point it seemed if the Chiefs were third-and-forever all they had to do was get the ball to Avery and they would get a first down.
With a $2.85 cap hit, this deal is still looking okay. If McCluster walks, Avery works well in the slot because of his speed. It will be interesting to see what the Chiefs do at the receiver position because many still see it as a position of need for the team.