Robert Golden leaves Kansas City Chiefs with confusing exit

Veteran safety Robert Golden tweeted that he was no longer a member of the Kansas City Chiefs in a weird series of messages.

Most NFL players are worried about getting a call from the front office at this time of year, dreading the familiar pink slip that will send hundreds and hundreds (and hundreds) of players to the unemployment line over the next few weeks.

Robert Golden apparently made the call himself to the Kansas City Chiefs powers-that-be.

In an odd series of tweets on Wednesday night—and perhaps before?—Golden made it clear that he had left the team that signed him earlier this spring. The messages clarified that it was his decision, that it was about a bad fit and that he seemed quite satisfied to walk away.

Let’s let him speak for himself here before getting into any of our own concerns and/or questions:

This initial pairing makes a few things very clear:

• Golden is out. It’s unclear whether he’s technically on the roster at this point, but whether or not the transaction is official, Golden has left the organization.
• Golden’s exit is of his own accord. He gives a nod for the opportunity but then blames the fit and makes his choice accordingly.
• Golden says two things here: “the fit was not ideal” and “life is too short not to be happy.” Clearly here is an unhappy player in the way he was being used. (Sorry if this seems obvious as we piece these things together, but it’s important to note what’s clear and what is not clear here.)

While all of this is apparent on the surface, there are also a lot of confusing ideas here at work as well.

1. First, Golden mentions a “better situation in the near future”, as if he knows he is going to be able to sign with another team shortly. Does this mean that he’s had a private with Brett Veach who decided to do the man a favor and let him walk? If so, did Golden break the news before anyone else and we’ve just yet to hear the Chiefs side of it?
2. This is a bit confusing because it’s not as if Golden is an automatic for any roster at this point. He will be a seventh-year safety in 2018 who signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs for less than $800K per year. That’s not exactly the quality of player who can call his own shots. “Hey, I hate it here, so I’m gonna go make good somewhere else.” Even if Veach does what he in no way has to do, there’s no guarantee another GM wants him back unless…
3. Is Golden going back to Pittsburgh? He’s played for them for the last six seasons, and if there was a situation in which a player knew he had a home with someone else, this would be it. It’s total conjecture here on my part, but it’s the only thing that makes sense unless…
4. Is Golden’s “better situation” outside of football entirely? Maybe he’s done with the game. He’s made his money. He’s worked six years. He’s well past the point of qualifying for an NFL pension. Perhaps he could be ready to walk away instead of trying to withstand the rigors of another new season on a brand new team trying to learn Bob Sutton’s scheme that don’t seem to be an “ideal” fit.

There’s no way to know any of this, of course, unless Golden himself tells the tale or Andy Reid or Veach address it with reporters—perhaps on Thursday at Arrowhead. Either way, here’s why it is important.

1. The Chiefs just had a veteran player leave after training camp was over. He  went through the hardest part of the entire offseason and then decided to leave. That’s just odd. If a man is going to ring the bell, you do so before you have to go through the gauntlet. I, personally, thinks that speaks to Golden’s character a bit here (since other players will go out of their way to avoid being at camp). Just weird.
2. I don’t like what it says about the team. If Golden is a high-character player, how does this not work out? Is it really just about scheme fit or are there cultural concerns that Golden has with the Chiefs? Were there issues with teammates? There’s no way either side will admit anything there, but if actions speak louder than words, the fact that a fringe roster player walked from a secure position turns the volume all the way up for me.
3. I don’t like it as a precedent for an unhappy player. Maybe this makes Veach a stand-up dude. “Oh, you don’t like it here. No worries. We’ll fill your spot. Good luck and let me know if you need a recommendation.” And he could be super nice like that, but yeah, I just think it’s a weird precedent. We’re talking about this for nearly 1,000 words in this piece already because it’s so odd.
4. I don’t like it as a loss at a position of need. Most importantly, the Chiefs are down Dan Sorensen for weeks and perhaps the season. Eric Berry is once again dealing with a sore heel in the preseason following another lost year. Eric Murray, Leon McQuay and Armani Watts are headed toward lots more meaningful reps early in the season than they should be given and now Golden’s exit only exacerbates the serious needs here.

It could be that this was in the works for a it. Check out previous tweets from Golden. A few hours before the official “I am leaving” tweet, he wrote this:

The day before, he uses the line about doing what makes you happy in reference to finishing training camp and it seems fine.

Then he adds:

Was Golden praying over the last day or so that he was out? Did he agree to finish out training camp and then leave? That timing makes no sense. If the team knows he’s leaving, why waste any time getting someone else new in here? Were they waiting for him to make up his mind? Was he waiting on Veach to make a decision on a proposal to let him walk and he finally heard the news?

In the end, maybe this is all much ado about nothing. Maybe an easily replaceable guy is easily replaced and the book is closed. Maybe Veach didn’t want someone around who didn’t want to be around for the sake of the locker room and both sides felt it was best to move on for no reason other than scheme fit. Maybe this is a 10 second explanation from Andy Reid and we’re all ready to move on.

But right now there are quite a few questions about a situation that’s just odd. Golden seemed like a solid under-the-radar signing who is tweeting about how God is leading him out of K.C. toward something better. I’d love to hear from someone about this—even God.