With one game left in the season and no playoff implications on the line, the Chiefs season is four quarters away from being over. As fans, we can either root for the Chiefs to win so we can feel good about the team one last time before the offseason hiatus, or we can hope they lose to secure a higher draft pick. Either way, the fans know it's over, and we have to keep our eyes on the future.
Before this season started, I thought Scott Pioli would be aggressive in securing his team's homegrown talent. This offseason, the Chiefs had several key players on the team, including Dwayne Bowe, Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr and Tamba Hali, that were soon approaching free agency. These players were an important part of the Chiefs 2010 run, and Pioli was aggressive with extending other key players like Derrick Johnson and Jamaal Charles (and the unimportant Andy Studebaker) in the middle of last season. Tamba Hali was franchised and then extended for five years and $60 million. Brandon Flowers was given a 5 year $50 million extension in September.
With the pace that Scott Pioli was going, I thought for sure that at least one of the two players left needing a contract would receive one during the course of the season. But entering week 17, both Dwayne Bowe and Brandon Carr are without contracts for next season.
The Chiefs keep quiet about their inner workings, and contract negotiations are included in that. There has been rumors, however, that the Chiefs and Bowe have been working on a new contract throughout the season, and if you believe Nick Wright of 610 Sports, the contract talks were stalled because of Todd Haley saying some things to Bowe that upset him and some other teammates (there have been a lot of rumors and sources coming out of 1 Arrowhead Drive this year, but click on the three links above to see Wright's exact tweets). But these are still just rumors. What matters is that the Chiefs best wide receiver and their number two corner are posed to become free agents.
If one left for free agency, it would be a big loss. If both left, the team will take a step back. Read more after the jump.
Dwayne Bowe has been a polarizing character, rewarding fans with fantastic grabs and then punishing them with inconceivable drops. Yet, throughout all this, he has been the Chiefs best receiver (except for a shortened 2009 season) and is a playmaker once the ball is securely in his hands. This week, he reached his third 1,000 yard receiving season, and his second in a row after his Pro Bowl appearance last season. In his five-year career with the Chiefs, he has 74 games played, 350 receptions, 4,384 yards, and 36 touchdowns.
In all but the 2009 season, no other wide receiver of the Chiefs has come close to challenging Bowe for the number one receiver position (although Bowe played second fiddle to Tony Gonzalez in yardage his first two seasons in KC). The closest a wide receiver has come is actually this year, with Steve Breaston's 776 yards. So if the Chiefs hope to have a contending offense in 2012, it begins with securing the "Un-Bowe-lievable" wide receiver.
But this is not a guaranteed signing. Who knows what Scott Pioli will do or if he will find the signing a fiscally rewarding one. The Patriot Way is about drafting, not necessarily signing their own talent; Pioli was in New England when they let Ty Law, Assante Samuel, and Deion Branch find new homes. But the Chiefs always have the option of franchising Bowe for the 2012 season, which they will probably do like they did with Hali this offseason. But there is also the option of trading Bowe once franchised to avoid paying him the average salary of the highest paid players at his position. This is what the Chiefs did with Jared Allen, and the hefty sum we got in return helped build the team we have today. But the Chiefs are not rebuilding, we are contending, and to lose a player of Bowe's caliber would be detrimental, even after drafting Jon Baldwin in the first round this year.
But Bowe won't be cheap. And actually, he's probably been his own worst enemy in getting a huge contract, being known around the league for his inconsistency. Big name wide receivers usually get big bucks, last year being no exception. Sidney Rice, the former Vikings wide receiver with good speed and good hands, got a 5 year $41 million deal before this season with the Seahawks. Although Rice was good, he had a small sample size from which to look at and battled with injuries. He was sent to IR halfway through this season as well. But if we could get Bowe locked up for a similar contract, then the Chiefs should jump at the opportunity.
Brandon Carr has been a valuable part of the Chiefs defense since his rookie year in 2008. Originally drafted to be a system cornerback in Herm Edwards defensive system, Carr has transformed into one of the best number 2 cornerbacks in the league, with very good coverage and ball skills.
After coming off a 25 pass deflection 2010 season, Carr has been avoided for much of the year, with quarterbacks rather attacking the middle of the field then his side. Still, Carr has a career high 3 INTs and is a great tandem piece to his teammate Brandon Flowers. The only downside to Carr is that a team in desperate need of a CB might lure Carr away with number 1 cornerback money.
Carr was a restricted free agent entering this season. The Chiefs, instead of extending Carr, tendered him and signed him to a one-year deal worth $2.61 million. If the Chiefs hope to keep him past this season, they are going to have to offer him more than that (like I said above, Flowers was signed to 5 years, $41 million). A number 2 corner won't make the kind of money Flowers is, but if his asking price is fair, we should absolutely bring him back. Otherwise, our options are down to Javier Arenas, Donald Washington and Jalil Brown. With as well as the defense has played late in the season, it would be tough for the Chiefs to absorb the loss of such a building block.
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