The Kansas City Chiefs Gambled On The Players Who Made Them The Worst Team In The NFL, And It Paid Off
Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesThe Kansas City Chiefs are the last remaining undefeated team in the NFL.
They have the 1st-ranked defense, the 2nd-ranked special teams, and an offense that does just enough to win.
The most interesting part is that they're doing it with a lot of the same players from last year's league-worst 2-14 team.
In the offseason the Chiefs made a gamble. They bet that the team that went 2-14 was actually really talented, and that they could become a contender with a few roster tweaks.
Many franchises in their situation would dismantle the team and start from scratch. They'd let the free agents walk and trade for draft picks.
Instead, they re-signed some key pieces from last year's team, brought in some free agents, and traded away a future asset for a starting quarterback.
Here's what they did in the offseason:
- Re-signed wide receiver Dwayne Bowe for $56 million over five years
- Used the franchise tag on offensive tackle Brandon Albert, meaning he got a one-year, $10 million contract
- Re-signed punter Dustin Colquitt for a preposterous $18.75 million over five years
- Traded a second-round pick in 2013 and a similar pick in 2014 for QB Alex Smith
- Signed cornerback Sean Smith for $18 million over three years
- Signed wide receiver Donnie Avery for three years
Those are all "win now" moves. You don't make those moves unless you believe you're close to contending for a Super Bowl.
Despite the awful record in 2012, the new Chiefs front office still believed they were a good team, and they acted accordingly in the offseason.
It was risky, but it clearly paid off.