Were the Kansas City Chiefs ready to trade for Demarcus Lawrence?

The latest column from Albert Breer states that a mystery AFC team was ready to pull the trigger on a Demarcus Lawrence deal. Was it Kansas City?

The NFL’s most recent long-term, big-money extension was announced last week with a new contract that made Demarcus Lawrence a happy man in two ways. Not only would he be one of the NFL’s richest defenders, but he would also stay at home in Dallas with the Cowboys.

According to a new column from Albert Breer at Monday Morning Quarterback, however, a couple mystery teams in the opposite conference—in the AFC—were ready to provide a new home for Lawrence. One team in particular was “ready to pull the trigger.”

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Is it possible that team was the Kansas City Chiefs?

Breer went inside the negotiations for Lawrence’s new extension for MMQB, and here’s how he positioned the AFC teams.

"When things looked bleakest, Canter was working with two AFC teams on potentially trading for Lawrence. He says he believes one of the two was ready to pull the trigger. One important piece of movement that prevented it from ever coming to that: The Cowboys’ willingness to go to a five-year structure."

In other words, if the Cowboys weren’t going to pony up and meet their demands, Lawrence’s agent would find a team willing to do so. It’s impossible to validate David Canter’s story, but if two AFC teams were in it, then that leaves only 16 total possible franchises. From there, one team was specifically ready to “pull the trigger.”

It’s hard to believe that one of these teams was not Brett Veach and the Chiefs. It fits in a number of ways. After trading Dee Ford and releasing Eric Berry and Justin Houston, the Chiefs are in a rare position to take on such a costly player who would require an exorbitant contract. New defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo would have also witnessed what Lawrence can do twice a year in the NFC East.

Rumors have swirled that the Chiefs seem primed for a major acquisition. They have a nice cadre of draft picks with 3 picks in the first two rounds in each of the next two drafts. They have slashed the payroll and gutted long-term commitments to completely reset the defensive side. Tyrann Mathieu was the team’s major acquisition in the secondary, and now it’s time to land a big fish for the front line.

There are other teams who could have been in the same position, teams with cash and a need for a pass rusher. The New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts come to mind as options for the Cowboys. Even the Oakland Raiders could have entered the picture, although it sounds funny for Jon Gruden to run out Khalil Mack only to pony up for Lawrence.

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There’s no way of knowing for sure if it was the Chiefs, but there’s good reason to believe they were at least one of the two teams interested from the AFC for Lawrence’s services. If so, it could mean Veach still has a whale of a deal to pull this offseason.

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