The Kansas City Chiefs showed interest in bringing in another big-bodied receiver this week but fell short to the New England Patriots.
Four days after being released by the Cleveland Browns, wide receiver Kenny Britt signed a two year deal with the New England Patriots on Tuesday. The release was one of the first moves by new general manager John Dorsey.
Britt had his best season in 2016 with the Los Angeles Rams, hauling in 68 catches for 1,002 yards. He signed a four year deal for $32 million with the Browns in the offseason. The Browns were not satisfied with their investment in Britt as he has only compiled 18 catches for 233 yards and a pair of touchdowns in nine games.
Shortly after his release, NFL reporter Ben Volin said that three specific teams, at least, put in offers for the veteran wide receiver, including the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kenny Britt chose the Patriots over offers from the Chiefs and Jaguars. Pats are loading up Britt’s plate to see how much of the playbook he can retain and if he can play Sunday at Pittsburgh
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) December 13, 2017
There’s no report on how much the Chiefs offered the nine-year veteran, but it shows they want to improve the receiving corps even more. Reaching for Britt was a confusing move for me since the Chiefs have talent at the receiver position but fail to utilize it. Most of the targets are respectively going to find themselves landing with either wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce.
The little amount of production is one of the reasons I’m sure Britt decided to go to New England over Kansas City. There is a big drop off from guys like Hill and the rest of the Chiefs receivers, but options like wide receiver Demarcus Robinson have proven they can make plays as well. Unfortunately, a guy like Robinson will only receive one or two targets per game from Smith. I fail to see what Britt would bring to Kansas City with how long it takes to earn quarterback Alex Smith’s trust—especially a big receiver like Britt who won’t get the separation Smith wants. After all, Smith is not the guy who throws many 50/50 balls.
There’s also the factor of going to New England where he will no doubt be in the Super Bowl race. Britt leaped from a winless team to one that makes a Super Bowl run every year. The Chiefs are a playoff contender as well, but with the production they already have, he wouldn’t have seen much production here either. The Patriots receivers have struggled this year outside of Brandin Cooks. Britt will get more chances and will have the chance to play with quarterback Tom Brady who still is playing great football even at the age of 40.
New England makes sense. Despite Volin’s report, the Chiefs reported offer does not.