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Arrowheadlines: Chiefs News 2/21

Good morning. Here is your Kansas City Chiefs news. Enjoy.

The Chiefs appeared to make their decision among their top two potential free agents Monday when they signed veteran cornerback Stanford Routt to a three-year contract worth almost $20 million. He is guaranteed $6 million in 2012.

The move probably means the Chiefs have opted to keep their top wide receiver, Dwayne Bowe, rather than starting cornerback Brandon Carr.

Chiefs Pick Up Cornerback Stanford Routt from KC Star

Is Routt a better player than Carr?

No. In some facets of the position they have produced similar numbers and performances during their careers. Carr was selected by Herm Edwards in the 2008 NFL Draft because of how the former Chiefs coach saw him fitting into the Cover 2 defense. But Carr has made strides in improving his overall ability, not only in zone but man to man coverage. Last season he allowed only three touchdown catches and was penalized five times, with two of those being declined.

Taking A First Off-Season Step... Tuesday Cup O'Chiefs from Bob Gretz

Star-divide

"We are excited that we were able to come to terms with Stanford," General Manager Scott Pioli said. "He is a talented player, and as we have said in the past, we are always looking to add competition at every position year-round. Stanford's experience and level of play will make him a solid addition to our defense."

Chiefs Sign Free Agent CB Stanford Routt from The Mothership

In an effort to improve their man-to-man coverage ability, the Kansas City Chiefs reached agreement with former Oakland Raiders cornerback Stanford Routt, the team announced Monday.

Routt will receive $6.5 million in guarantees and will make $11 million this season as part of a three-year deal, a source said. The Raiders released him after the season from a three-year, $31.5 million deal that paid him $10 million in 2011.

CB Stanford Routt Joins Chiefs from ESPN

NFL free agency begins Tuesday, March 13th at 3:00 PM (CST). With the Chiefs looking to improve depth and competition across their roster, KCChiefs.com will preview 30 potential free agents in the 30 days leading up to the start of free agency. Up today is Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Demetrius Bell.

30 FAs In 30 Days: Demetrius Bell from The Mothership

Pete Moris has been named assistant athletics director/communications at the University of Oklahoma. The announcement was made today by OU Vice President and Athletics Director Joe Castiglione.

Moris, who spent 17 years in the public relations office with the Kansas City Chiefs, will join the staff in late February.

Morris Named To OU Communications Post from SoonerSports.com

Conventional wisdom suggests the Chiefs won't break the bank on re-signing cornerback Brandon Carr, 25, who has started every game for them in the past four years. I'm not sure if that's a safe bet, considering the Chiefs had a monstrous $67 million in salary-cap space before Routt signed a three-year deal that will pay him $11 million in 2012.

In other words, the Chiefs can keep Carr if they want him.

Brandon Carr And The Cornerback Market from ESPN

In an effort to better equip coaches of various sports at all levels, the Kansas City Chiefs are pleased to announce that they will host Joe Ehrmann as he presents his informative "InSideOut" Coaching Seminar. A member of the National Speakers Association that's in demand throughout the country, Ehrmann's presentation will be held on Saturday, April 14 from the North Club at Arrowhead Stadium.

Chiefs Hosting Nationally-Renowned Speaker Joe Ehrmann For An Insideout Coaching Seminar from The Mothership

Former Memphis Tiger defensive back Eric Harris, who was a four year starter and honors winner, suffered a heart attack and died in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Sunday, February 19. Harris, who was 57 years of age, played for then Memphis State University from 1973-76...

... When He returned to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs in 1980, he became one of the first $1 million defensive backs in the league. After three years with the Chiefs, he signed with the Los Angeles Rams and played three seasons before retiring.

Former Memphis Football Great Eric Harris Passed Away At Age 57 from GoTigersGo.com

0 recs  |  80 comments

Comments

Goodbye Carr

I’m disappointed that Carr is most likely gone. If on the bright side by signing Routt that means we keep Bowe and use the difference between what Carr would have been paid and what we paid to Routt for upgrades to DT or maybe RT, then I love this move.

He is?

Which article has Pioli or Carr or even Romeo saying that Carr is most likely gone?

Common sense says he's most likely gone

The only way he stays is if he takes a home town discount, which is unlikely (unless maybe he does this in a literal sense & goes back to Detroit).

Carr is definitely gone.

You don’t spend $20 million on Routt unless you already know that Carr is looking for more than you are willing to pay for his services. I love Carr, and would have loved to see him stay, but this is a very smart business move. This is the only possible way they could prtect themselves from the loss of Carr before free agency (because Routt was cut). now the Chiefs do not have to worry about who to tag. Bowe will be franchised.

I agree with you completely

Unless of course Carr goes & signs somewhere for $40m over 5 years.

I'm disappointed to but I understand and it puts us in a better position

I wanted to see Carr stay here. He has been here since being drafted, we have watched him grow and become a very good player. I think he is better than Routt plus he knows the defense and the players we have. Routt has to learn all that. With that being said, Routt is still a very talented player who is a very solid #2. I also like that Pioli took the initiative to keep us from getting into a bad spot. We had 2 FA’s that we needed to keep, Bowe and Carr. It was going to be hard to sign both and the chances of losing one was pretty high. This signing means we still have a solid #2 and we will retain Bowe. It made an uncertainty into a certainty and set us up better for when free agency starts.

Now if we can get a RT before the draft then that opens our draft up to so many more possibilities.

we better beat the raiders in kc this year

Tired of that drought. Sweep would be ideal but winning at home this year is a MUST

Gretz thinks Carr is worth $10-11 mil a season

Now that is rich

yeah. im a big carr fan, i wanted 39 as a chief for life.

but cmon man. 11 mil

Carr will get that easily from someone though

I think that’s more of the reason Gretz put that number out there

If KC uses that $4 million per year saved by going w/ Routt over Carr

To bring in some other top level talent, then it was a smart move.

except that instead we brought in Routt

he’s ok but not as good as Carr

ok

What the hell is our cap number, ESPN is still saying 67 million…

No one knows exactly

A source of a friend of a long lost cousin of my house cleaner says its $45 mil, but they usually don’t know what they are talking about

Right now it's $62.9 million (no clue they got 67)

By the time the new league year hits and bonuses are taken into account, it’ll be 37 million. So 37 million is the number we really care about.

Well it's less than that now. How much of a bonus did Routt get?

Would it be around 31 million now? Or less?

The only portiuon of his contract that counts against the cap this year is the 2012 salary and the prorated portion of the signing bonus.
thanks joel

I remembered seeing the 37 or so, ESPN just needs to update their stuff to include all those bonuses and incentive payments so they stopped inflating the caps…

I think 67 million is money spent not money remaining.
Conspiracy Theory?

Interesting that the difference between last weeks and this weeks Chiefs cap figure (60 something to 30 something) is about the same as Peyton’s upcoming roster bonus… could there be a secret deal???!!!

(no I’m not serious)

so much that it really doesnt matter.

not til next season

can't have enough good CBs

With the league going to a more 3wr set and/or athletic TEs as the base package, I don’t see why we couldn’t keep Carr as well to be prepared for it. See how it shakes out this year and if we find one of them isn’t needed then trade at the end of this season.

There is zero reason for the club to let anyone get away with 60mil cap space unless they just flat out don’t want to sign here (which Carr may not after this regardless of money).

$10-12 mil a year for Carr isn't reason enough to let him walk?
Awful steep

I would love it if they could tag and trade him.

and you know Carr wants that much HOW?
The same way you know what Carr would be happy with.
for that kind of cash, its good reason. and you cant have enough good cbs, but on a team that seems to be very focused on spending, putting that money into one position isnt something isee happening
Odds on who gets the franchise tag

Bowe: 2 to 1
Carr: 5 to 1
Orton: 10 to 1
Mcclain: 20 to 1
Gilberry: 50 to 1
TJ: 75 to 1
Wiegmann: 300 to 1
Richardson: 3000000 to 1
Palko: infinity to 1

Cap number

I think with that $63 million cap number floating around, alot of fans are not going to understand the number decrease at the start of the new league year. They are going to have unfair free agency expectations and accuse the Chiefs of being cheap.

They already have a reputation for being cheap.
Legitimate rep?
Doesn't sound any different

Than any other year too me

2011 money?

Someone help me out please. When does the 2012 season officially start? Because if it has not started yet isn’t some of Stafords money against 2011?

March 13th
thats what i thought

So would a portion of this contract go against 2011?

?

That’s a good question and I don’t know the answer to that

Would it matter?

I am not sure if it matters since we are carrying over the remaining 2011 cap space.

Well since he was a Raider in 2011 they are the ones who would be responsible for that

So no, it wouldn’t matter towards our cap figure. And yesterday I think I read on here that the Raiders still owe him 4-5 million

His contract won't officially kick in until the new league year

If it counted against 2011 like you’re asking then we would be basically paying him to have been a Raider last year.

and he would only have 2 years left on his deal
wake me up at 3:00pm that day..
Trade carr

Isnt their a way the chiefs can trade carr and at least get something for him.i keep hearing he wants to go to the lions to be with gunther.of course you hear everything until it happens.

Trade

The only way the Chiefs can trade Carr is to slap the franchise tag on him. If they lose him in free agency we might get a compensatory pick for him

Thanks

Thanks for the information,i really didnt know how that works.

routt also doesnt count towards this, so pioli did replace carr without hurting his chances at that 3rd rounder
How so?

I don’t think he counts for Oakland but will count for us

I thought the same thing...

Being cut doesnt get Oakland a comp pick but being picked up by us hurts our comp picks…

Exactly
How does Routt not count against the Comp figure?

I know he signed before the 2012 season but his contract starts in 2012. His contract money should be accounted for in the formula they use to determine comp picks… Do you have a link that says something different?

yeah, franchise him, with zero leverage, and hope you can move him

pioli will walk away with a comp pick before he risks paying carr 10 mil

It would be like the Cassel deal

Tag Carr and when you find a trade partner Carr signs the tender and he works out his deal with that team or they pay him the tag number because that is what his under contract for.

When multiple people want what your player you have leverage
Can you trade a franchised player without them working out a new deal with the other team?

Essentailly trading them on a one-year contract at the franchise tag price?

Sure but what team is going to give up much?

No one is going to give up a 2nd for a 1 year rental

Even if you get a 3rd-5th it's better than nothing

You could even make the comp a 2013 pick…a 3rd if he walks, a 2nd or 1st if he signs a long term deal.

Comp pick max is a 3rd.

If Carr walks and gets a huge deal they take into account that we signed Routt. I would say the swap of the two would net us a 5th, maybe a 4th depending on his contract numbers.

You can if you want.

KC traded for Cassel in Feb. His contract wasnt worked out until July(reported). It is a chance you take on a player. You give up all leverage when you trade for a franchised players. Most teams want a contract extension in place before they sign the trade payers. Min traded for Allen and had a contract in place when they traded for him…

keeping Carr?

anychance that Chiefs will try and keep Carr, obviously we have alot of cap room and the NFL being a pass first league. having Routt, Carr, Flowers backed by Berry, along with LB, Hali, Houston, Johnson, and a someone ok DLine. i think that core could be superbowl calibre.

obviously we need a solid QB but if if we can build a solid Defense, maybe we can pull a tamba bay superbowl.

any thoughts on this?

I think if the Chiefs thought they could come to a finacial arrangement with Carr, Routt would not have been signed.
What about our special teams?

Would their be any reason to beef up our special teams,i think maybe we are average at best in that department.

special teams needs a boost. new coach means change, plus there is a major overhaul at the bottom of the roster

the jackie battle types are probably gone.

as for CB, jalil brown is counted on for special teams as of now. arenas on returns.

Arenas

Im not all that impressed with his returns,maybe if his blockers in front of him were better that could help.

your joking right?

He lead the league for the first part of the season in punt returns, and finished i believe in the top 5. To boot, he had horrible blocking and always was being hit almost immediately after catching the ball. He is a good returner.

Easy, Killer

The two of you are making some of the same points. He readily acknowledged the need for better blocking. Simmer down…

Tag Carr regardless of Bowe contract situation

People keep saying to sign Bowe to a long-term deal so we can slap the franchise tag on Carr.

I think if they are both unsigned and free agency looms, I tag Carr over Bowe and trade him for a high draft pick.

We can still work out a deal for Bowe or another free agent wide receiver and get a pick instead of nothing for Carr.

that also leaves a chance where you are unable to move carr, and then bowe walks free

just saying.

Can we do it

Could Bowe be signed today? Surely not two straight days of big news?

Anything is possible

That would be a good deal if that could happen,then they could move on with other major moves that is going to happen.just feel like something big is going to surprize us all.

It's a lot easier to work out a deal with Bowe now that he's almost certain to get tagged

The Chiefs definitely gained some leverage w/ Bowe by signing Routt.

I Agree

I think this is the plan now that Routt signed. They will work out a long term deal with Bowe now that he believes he is going to get the tag. Then they can tag Carr if they get the deal done with Bowe

Franchise Tag

Anyone know the last day teams are allowed to franchise players?

I have a strong feeln that

We will keep carr long term!! BUT, if we do get bowe signed, tht tag is going to carr and we could easily get a 1st rd for him lke the patriots or any team wit acouple 1s! We could evn trade carr for a player like mankins or what have u like a sign and trade maybe??!! Lots of possiblities!!

The only way we can trade Carr is to sign him or franchise him.

Let’s do it and hope we can get a 1 or 2 for him. Better than losing him to FA for a comp pick in the 4 -5 rd.

I keep thinking...

Somehow, someway, the front office is going to sign Carr to a deal. I don’t think he is going anywhere. I mean teams are running 2 TE sets, and 3 WR sets, so why not get routt for cheap and keep Carr too?? Not impossible!

The Only Problem

with that is that Routt was not necessarilly cheap. They gave Routt starter money which means Carr would probably have to sign a similar deal (which I don’t think Carr wants)

Think Philadelphia Eagles...
Best case scenario

Bowe signs before free agency opens, the Chiefs franchise Carr and then from a position of leverage either keep him for a year or trade him to a non-division opponent.

Hoping

Hope springs eternal. Maybe they are counting on Arenas to make a leap and think he will be better than Routt, who would make for great depth. Maybe they will keep Carr and trade Routt for someone else or an additional draft pick or to move up. Naaaaah.

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