Isaiah Wilson presents a potential two-sided coin for KC Chiefs

If you dig deep in the weeds, you could have seen this coming. Over the last several days, the Tennessee Titans and Isaiah Wilson have been a sort of collision course as the franchise will be forced to soon make a decision on what to do with their thus-far disappointing first-round pick from only a year ago.

If you’re new to the timeline, Wilson stated on Twitter on Monday that he’s “done” with the team. “I’m done with football as a Titan,” he wrote and then later deleted. But that was the latest bubble to rise to the surface in what has been a strained relationship since the team first drafted him last spring.

Late last week, one Titans fan account noticed that Wilson himself had unfollowed the team on Instagram. From there, Wilson responded to it with the following:

Yes, it needs to be noted that his own Twitter handle is “layzay”. Good way to lean into the brand.

KC Chiefs would be wise to steer clear of Isaiah Wilson despite his potential.

Earlier this month, Titans general manager Jon Robinson took Wilson to task in the press and admitted he hadn’t even spoken to Wilson in quite some time. In a longer press session with reporters, he stated that he’d done the requisite homework on Wilson as a prospect but that “the player this fall here in Nashville wasn’t the guy that we spent time with last year.” From there, Wilson then unfollowed the team and subsequently tweeted out that he was done with the Titans, although he did delete it later. However, the internet did what it always does and kept receipts.

At this point, it seems safe to say that someone will either try to trade for Wilson and give the Titans a way out by at least recouping something from their very recent and very heavy investment or that the Titans will just admit that something broke after they bought it. Either way, a team like the Kansas City Chiefs are going to be tempted to buy in due to a need. They’ll also be repulsed by some of what they find.

At this point, that’s the two-sided coin that Wilson presents. For those who’ve read the recent drama and want to write him off, the reality is that no one suspected Wilson had any sort of character red flags upon entering the league. Every scouting report on him had concerns but they all had to do with the limited body of work he’d put together at Georgia. He was considered a developmental talent, and the Titans reached when they did in the first to be able to secure his services for the long-term health of the offensive front.

According to Robinson’s remarks to reporters, it’s clear that the Titans were blindsided by Wilson’s lack of work ethic and effort as he questioned his desire to play professional football. That’s the sort of character concern that can undermine any amount of potential, no matter how gifted a kid might be. Then again, the right coach in the right environment might consider his tremendous talent and want to take the chance that he could inspire him to live up to his ceiling.

The Chiefs have the sort of strong organizational culture in which a player like Wilson could thrive. The Chiefs also have serious needs on the outside given the recent Achilles injury to Eric Fisher and the ongoing back concerns for Mitchell Schwartz. On paper, if the Chiefs could get Wilson on the cheap (or for nothing) and turn him around, it would be the sort of unfair addition that would help keep the Chiefs on top of the AFC. .

That said, Wilson seems to need significant time away from the game in order to clear his head and make some tough decisions about his future. Does he want a career in the NFL? Is he willing to repair bridges that he’s burned? Is he willing to own up to his mistakes? At this point, the Chiefs or any other team should not reward someone who cannot be trusted.