Grading The Kansas City Chiefs Offseason So Far
The 2015 NFL free agency period isn’t even a week old yet and there has been a ton of activity across the league. While most Chiefs fans were hopeful that Kansas City would find a way to fill some holes and add some quality players, I’m not sure anyone was expecting the Chiefs to be quite as active as they have been. After all, the general consensus was that KC was hurting for cap space and that championship teams are built through the draft not free agency anyway. So has KC been wise to make the moves it has thus far or are they setting themselves up for failure?
This week I’ll look at all the key moves that have happened over the past week and assign grades to them. I’m sure many of you may have differing opinions than I do, but that’s what the comment section is for. Let’s go ahead and get started with the biggest headline move of the week.
Dec 20, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (18) catches the ball as Washington Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland (26) defends in the fourth quarter at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
The Chiefs Sign Jeremy Maclin To A Five Year/55 Million Dollar Contract
Just last Monday I wrote a post that asked the question: is signing Maclin the right call for KC? If you read the piece you know that my primary concern was that his signing might handcuff the Chiefs salary cap wise and prevent them from filling other needs, specifically the offensive line. KC fans can disagree on a lot of things, but I think one thing that John Dorsey has proven this past week is that the Maclin signing has clearly not stopped the Chiefs from making other moves. Maclin looks like a perfect fit for this offense and the clear number one WR that KC has been looking for. I stated then that if KC could add Maclin and address their offensive line that I would be fully on board with his signing. I’m now officially backing that stance up with a grade.
Grade: A
The Chiefs Trade For Ben Grubbs (And Work Out A New Contract)
People that read my Chiefs ramblings every Monday know that I’ve been a broken record this entire offseason. My posts every week can all basically fall under the banner of how or why the offensive line needs addressed. So it should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone that this move is my favorite of them all. Grubbs gives KC a proven quality on the offensive line. Grubbs instantly becomes the leader in the offensive line room as a guy that has been there, done that. Not to mention that just two seasons ago he was a Pro Bowl player at LG, which just happens to be the line spot that KC has really struggled at recently. In addition to adding a great player, Dorsey orchestrated the move brilliantly. He only had to give up a 5th round pick (which KC won’t miss because of it’s forthcoming compensatory picks) to land Grubbs and then within 24 hours of announcing the deal the Chiefs had agreed upon a new deal that would lower Grubbs cap number (which was the whole reason the Saints wanted to unload him). This move was aces all the way around.
Grade: A++
The Chiefs Re-Sign Ron Parker To A Five Year/30 Million Dollar Contract
I’ll admit that my initial reaction to Ron Parker’s new contract was “Whoa, that’s WAY more than I would have been willing to pay him!” Don’t get me wrong, I thought Parker played really well at safety (much more so than he did at CB), but not $6 million/year good. However, when the details of the contract came out the deal looked MUCH more reasonable. There isn’t a ton of guaranteed money and the deal is really a 5 year/$25 million deal with lots of incentive bonuses. Assuming the cap hits the first few years are relatively small and then get much larger late in the contract when the Chiefs will be able to cut him if his play doesn’t warrant it. Therefore, if Parker plays great they can let him play it out and if he doesn’t they can send him packing. The deal structure is what saved this signing.
Grade: B
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