T.J. Come on Down

The biggest news to hit the NFL newswire on Friday was not the trade of Dallas Cowboys receiver Patrick Crayton to the San Diego Chargers. Instead the honor went to Seattle Seahawks receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. With his impending release, should the Kansas City Chiefs make a run for the overpaid receiver?

It’s clear that the Kansas City Chiefs would like to upgrade their receiving group prior to the start of the regular season. For months they flirted with Dallas Receiver Patrick Crayton. But when push came to shove and he was offered to the Chiefs, they passed on sending a seventh round pick to the Cowboys.

Instead he was dealt to division rival San Diego for what could be a late round seventh round pick.

Maybe the Chiefs had someone else in mind.

Reports earlier in the week confirmed that Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll wasn’t happy with the play of his star receiver. Rumors suggest he wasn’t practicing at full speed, had a bad attitude and didn’t garner a lot of respect amongst his teammates.

So before I go any further. Does he sound like one of the ‘Right 53’ that Chiefs Head Coach Todd Haley has been preaching about since he landed in Kansas City a year ago?

Clearly not.

Houshmandzadeh was a standout receiver in Cincy.
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But that hasn’t stopped teams from pursuing the former Cincinnati Bengals standout. Reportedly the Chargers had interest before the Crayton deal. Other teams being mentioned are the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and the Minnesota Vikings.

There’s been no mention of the Chiefs interest but that could change. Still it’s a long shot for Kansas City but they’ve been seeking another high profile receiver since free agency.

They thought they had a deal with former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin last April. However, the Baltimore Ravens came in at the last minute and offered him a better contract so he never made it to Kansas City.

That’s probably a good thing because the draft pick the Chiefs would have shipped off to Arizona would have been the second rounder that netted them Mississippi receiver Dexter McCluster.

But Houshmandzadeh won’t cost the Chiefs any draft picks, if he’s released. He’ll be a free agent and can sign with any team. If a trade were made, then Kansas City would be on the hook for roughly $7 million this season. But the Chiefs have plenty of cap room so really money isn’t an issue.

Chiefs tried to pry Boldin away from the Cardinals but they couldn’t match the Ravens deal.
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The question really boils down to one simple thing. Do the Chiefs want to rent him for one year? I’d say why not.

Right now the Chiefs have confidence in Dwayne Bowe, Chris Chambers and the aforementioned McCluster. After that, they don’t have much they can count on.

The team signed Jerheme Urban in the offseason but on Thursday night he dropped two perfectly thrown balls. He’s shown absolutely nothing in four preseason games and had the team acquired Crayton, he’d have been the odd man out.

After that, they have Terrance Copper, Quentin Lawrence and the surprise of camp, undrafted rookie Jeremy Horne.

But none of those receivers has shown significant signs they can be the fourth receiver on this football team. They are at best situational or role players. Of the three, Horne has the best hands. Lawrence is the best special teams player but Copper has a big supporter in Todd Haley.

Still the thought of Houshmandzadeh running routes at the New Arrowhead with a big chip on his shoulder, could lower the risk ahead for the Chiefs – should they make the choice to pursue him.

Maybe there is some common ground for the Seahawks and Chiefs to strike a deal. If the Seahawks want a young safety, they could pry Jarrad Page from Kansas City and ship Houshmandzadeh to the Chiefs.

That way both teams dump an unhappy player. It would require Kansas City Chiefs General Manager Scott Pioil, to role of the dice but one I think would be well worth the risk. After all, he was in a similar position with Randy Moss a few years ago and that worked out pretty darn good for the Patriots.

So will Houshmandzadeh be a Chief sometime soon? Probably not but one can dream.