Kevin Pierre-Louis’s arrest creates cloud around free agency

Kevin Pierre-Louis picked the wrong time to find himself in legal troubles as the promising linebacker finally hit free agency for the first time.

Kevin Pierre-Louis couldn’t have scripted it any better—at least not in a realistic fashion. Unfortunately he might have undone a lot of his positive momentum with the news of his recent arrest.

On Thursday night, Pierre-Louis was arrested and charged with three things. The Kansas City Chiefs linebacker was allegedly driving without a valid license, failed to display a valid plate or current registration and, most importantly, was caught in possession of marijuana, THC and drug paraphernalia, per the Kansas City Star.

While these charges will not necessarily hinder Pierre-Louis’s ability to play professional football, it does cloud his forthcoming free agency, the sort of silly decision that could keep him from earning the payday he’s been hoping for.

Consider his previous scenario. Exactly one year ago, Pierre-Louis was stuck behind stud linebackers like Bobby Wagner with the Seattle Seahawks. He’d been a fourth round draft choice who played primarily on special teams and in the occasional sub package on defense. He was one year away from free agency without much opportunity during his first three seasons to show what he can do. Then the Chiefs came calling.

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Brett Veach was clearly a man on a mission to upgrade the Chiefs linebacking corps. Within the several weeks of the preseason after taking over, he traded former Pro Bowl linebacker D.J. Alexander, a special teams ace, to the Seahawks for Pierre-Louis in a rare positional swap and later sent a future draft asset to the Buffalo Bills for Reggie Ragland. Suddenly the Chiefs had depth, youth and options.

For Pierre-Louis, it was the opportunity he’d been waiting for and he clearly took advantage of it. As a hard worker, he improved week over week and became more comfortable in Bob Sutton’s system over time. His natural athleticism and instincts allowed him to quickly contribute on defense after starring early on special teams. It wasn’t long before a star like Derrick Johnson had been relegated to rotational duty with the other two now in the mix.

The stat sheet doesn’t jump out on for Pierre-Louis, although he did have more tackles in K.C. (37) than he did in three seasons with Seattle (32). He also added 2 passes defended. Those watching closely, however, know that he shows the sort of pre-Achilles burst that DJ himself used for years to roam the middle at Arrowhead. Combined with Ragland’s thumping ability and nose for the ball, the pair could be a dynamic force in the middle for years to come.

But Pierre-Louis is first and foremost a free agent and both sides now have a lot to consider. At the age of 26, Pierre-Louis was going to bring a lot to the table on a second deal as an emerging player learning the scheme. With the arrest and charges looming overhead, some teams might just steer clear entirely of even checking him out.

Pierre-Louis was likely never going to cash in on some mega-deal ranked among the top contracts, even at his position, but his potential would likely earned him some job security and definite pay raise above the $600K+ he earned in 2017. It will be interesting to watch how the pending charges cloud things or whether the Chiefs or another team ignore the legal drama altogether to swoop in and land a solid player.