Most Perplexing Kansas City Chiefs Offseason Questions
By Ben Nielsen
Nov 30, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs general manager John Dorsey laughs with friends before the game against the Denver Broncos during the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
John Dorsey has his work cut out for him this offseason as the Chiefs are in a strange spot between being a contender and being a mediocre team.
In the next four months Dorsey is going to have to figure out what to do with Justin Houston, how to preserve his top ranked defense, and how to fix an offense that had trouble coming up with explosive plays. He must do all of this within the perimeters of a salary cap and the reality the Denver Broncos and other contenders are going to be pushing hard to get one last run out of their aging quarterbacks.
Here are seven of the most important questions Dorsey will have to answer this offseason if Kansas City is going to make the leap from average to contender in 2015.
1. What To Do With Justin Houston
Houston is about to get paaaaiiiiid. The question is if it will be the Chiefs who are willing to pony up the cash to keep him.
Spotrac thinks Houston is in line for a six-year deal worth nearly $100 million, which would make him one of the NFL’s highest paid non-quarterbacks. Houston is definitely worth it as an edge rusher but Dorsey may see this as an opportunity to cash in on draft picks and build a more complete roster.
Kansas City still holds the cards here. They could franchise him and either force another team to part with two draft picks or get Houston to lower his price or dare Houston to play on another one year deal. Either way the Chiefs come out with Houston or at least two first round picks.
Obviously the optimal scenario has Houston sacking Philip Rivers four times per game for another five or six years but that may not be in the cards for what Dorsey has planned for the offseason. The next two months – the period of time between the Chiefs can negotiate with Houston before being forced to make a decision on a franchise tag – are going to be key in figuring out if Houston stays or goes.
Hopefully this end with Kansas City getting a reasonable deal on one of the NFL’s best defensive players not named J.J. Watt.