Kansas City Chiefs news: Joel Corry talks Justin Houston, AFC West and more
On Monday afternoon, CBS Sports analyst Joel Corry spoke with me over the phone about a litany of topics regarding the Kansas City Chiefs. Corry, who is a former NFL agent and a salary cap specialist, had ample insight into everything from Justin Houston to the hectic offseason across the AFC West.
Q: Your general thoughts on Kansas City’s team going into 2015?
A: One big thing they found was what should be a downfield weapon for Alex Smith in Jeremy Maclin. That was important for them, because Dwayne Bowe wasn’t cutting it as number one receiver. That was the biggest move and essentially saved money because the of the structure of Bowe’s deal. I understand why Rodney Hudson isn’t there. If someone was going to make him the highest paid center, that’s one of those deals where you say we wish you well.
Q: How do you see the Justin Houston situation playing out? Is he gone after 2015?
A: He can’t walk after this year because they can always tag him again, which would be $15.834 million. But if you are going to do that you might as well pay him because then you have $30 million over two years in base structure. He wanted the deal last year and skipped camp. … Kansas City should have tried to get him to get a Tamba Hali contract last year, but that ship has sailed.
If you think you’re going to marginally make the high him the highest paid outside linebacker in the game, that’s not going to cut it. … Kansas City dropped the ball not anticipating the Ndamukong Suh deal coming in above J.J Watt, because when that happened, if I’m the agent, whatever we were taking about is obsolete. Now the Suh deal sets the marketplace. Since he almost broke the single-season sack record, he has transcended the position. … Kansas City probably needs to stretch this a little more than they would like to. The moral is the longer you wait with a Pro Bowl or superstar player, the more it will cost in the long run.
Q: Marcus Peters is a fairly high-risk prospect. Were you in favor of the selection?
A: I have no problems from a talent standpoint. It is just a question of whether he fits into the team concept. Obviously there are red flags when you’re booted off your team in college. Maybe he’s matured and learned his lessons. If that’s the case, he should be a good pick for Kansas City.
Q: The offensive line underwent a makeover. Do you foresee improvement or did the Chiefs spin their wheels?
A: I think it will be better, but you can’t discount Hudson. I would have just paid Geoff Schwartz a couple years ago when he was a free agent instead of trading for Ben Grubbs. … The big key is getting Eric Fisher to take a step forward.
Next: Who is the top team in the AFC West?