Brett Veach stated that he expects to work out a deal very, very soon with veteran punter Dustin Colquitt to keep him in Kansas City.
Thirteen drafts ago, the Kansas City Chiefs submitted an oddity on an official card announcing their selection in the third round. In that 2005 NFL Draft, the Chiefs decided they would take a punter among the top 100 choices—a sight as rare then as it is today.
The reason the Chiefs decided to go against the grain and take a punter is because Dustin Colquitt was a rare performer at the position. That vision for what he could be has proven true as the veteran remains a Pro Bowl performer nearly 15 years later. Now on the expiration of yet another contract extension, the Chiefs have made it clear they still don’t want Colquitt to go anywhere.
Colquitt was the NFL’s most expensive punter last year and remains one of the better overall punters in the game. For a team against the cap, however, it makes sense to question whether or not it’s time for the Chiefs to move on from Colquitt and save a few million dollars against the cap. Even late the in season, the Chiefs worked out free agent Taylor Symmank. Apparently that was all for nothing.
General manager Brett Veach was frank when discussing Colquitt’s future with the team.
Veach says his negotiations with Dustin Colquitt are going in a positive direction and looks forward to announcing something soon
— RIP Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) March 14, 2018
Clearly both sides are interested in maintaining some kind of a relationship, one that gives the Chiefs security at the position and Colquitt an extended legacy. It will be interesting to see the details and how much Colquitt is willing to come down or whether the Chiefs pony up. Either way, Veach definitely feels it’s essential to keep a proven performer in the role.