Happy New Year!! As you may have heard, midnight was the kick off for free agency and the new NFL year. Here's what the internet has to say about your Kansas City Chiefs. Let the party begin!
The 2010 NFL season has officially begun, kicking off Thursday night with the start of free agency.Some teams were busy right when the clock struck free agents. Despite the new economic landscape of the league operating without a salary cap, the free agency scene does not figure to change much. There will be a lot of action in the first few days of free agency and then the big money trail will grow cold.
Names like Julius Peppers, Karlos Dansby, Antrel Rolle, Chester Taylor, Dunta Robinson and Darren Sharper should be in the headlines very quickly.
The chances are slim that any of those names will end up wearing the red and gold uniform of the Chiefs. GM Scott Pioli said last week the Chiefs would be active like they were last season. That translates to signing eight to 10 free agents, but none of the big names and none of the big contracts.
Vrabel and the Chiefs made it happen hours before he was to become an unrestricted free agent. The sides agreed on terms of a one-year contract Thursday, allowing him to continue his career in Kansas City and the Chiefs to keep a starting outside linebacker and a mentor to many of their young players.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs retained the rights to another linebacker when they offered a one-year contract worth $2.621 million to Derrick Johnson.
Johnson, a restricted free agent, is eligible to negotiate with other clubs. If he signs an offer sheet with another team, the Chiefs have the right to match that offer. If they decline, the Chiefs are entitled to that team’s first-round draft pick.
Chiefs, Vrabel agree to one-year deal from KC Star
The new league year will begin at 11 p.m. Central Time on Thursday.
With it comes a new landscape of no salary cap for the first time in the NFL since 1993.
What will happen around the league in these circumstances will be interesting to watch in the coming weeks. That’s especially true when it comes to restricted free agents, one of the great oxymorons in professional sports. Coupling free with restricted does not make much language sense, and as it’s played out over the years, it hasn’t made much sense for the players.
Until this year, a restricted free agent was a player who had three years of experience in the league. With the owners opting out of the agreement with the players and bringing into play the uncapped season in 2010, changes came to the restricted class. Now a restricted free agent is a player with three to five years of experience in the league.
That means there are 212 players with four and five years of experience who are about to become restricted free agents (RFA) rather than unrestricted (UFA). And there are 212 players like San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman who are not very happy about the change.
New World Of Restricted Free Agency from Bob Gretz
It is now official that the Kansas City Chiefs will not be returning to River Falls in 2010 after 19 years of holding summer training camp at UW-River Falls. The impact of the team’s move is already being felt at UWRF, campus officials said, but it may not be fully understood area-wide for several years.
"It was finalized at the end of January that [the Chiefs] won’t be back," Larry Testa said...
..."If you talk to [the Chiefs], it’s not so much that they wanted to leave, but they couldn’t afford not to," he said. "The state of Missouri offered the team huge tax breaks to relocate."
The Chiefs training camp will now be held at Missouri Western State University in St. Joe’s, Missouri.
Chiefs' Summer Training Camp No Longer at UWRF from uwrfvoice.com
Into the great unknown.
The NFL has begun the final season of its contract with the players union by eliminating the salary cap. Free agency started Friday with no ceiling on spending for teams, and no floor, either...
...The only certainty is, well, the uncertainty.
"Too much time and energy would be wasted on speculating what the system is going to be or how it is going to be," Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli said. "I have to go with the way things are now and just hope that you are doing the right thing."
NFL free agency begins without cap from The Associated Press
Secretive Scott Pioli will give no hints how deeply Chiefs might participate in free agency. But after winning 10 games in three seasons, team has needs just about everywhere, particularly at safety, offensive line, linebacker, wide receiver, and tight end. Could use running back as well. Another consideration when evaluating how much to spend is opening in September of new-look Arrowhead Stadium, renovated to tune of about $375 million of mostly taxpayer dollars. Attendance waned last year and long streak of non-blackouts ended.How NFL teams approach uncapped free agency from The Associated Press
No top-tier player in this year’s free agent class appears to be on Seattle’s radar heading into the first weekend of free agency.
However, the Seahawks could be on the verge of losing its top free agent, receiver Nate Burleson. According to a report from the National Football Post, several teams are interested in the Seattle native’s services, including the Chicago, the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Hawks proceed with caution from The Olympian
CATCHING one of the world’s fastest women is no easy task, but when Aaron Ross first glimpsed Sanya Richards, he vowed to his mother: "I’m going to get her."......She and Mr. Ross were married on Feb. 26 by the Rev. Wesley Green in front of about 500 guests at Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin, Tex.; yellow and pink roses adorned the altar.
The groomsmen included Giants teammates Ahmad Bradshaw, Corey Webster and Michael Johnson, along with Tarell Brown of the San Francisco 49ers, who described Mr. Ross, his friend from their days on the Longhorns, as a "very humble, hardworking guy."
Other guests included Roy Williams of the Dallas Cowboys, Derrick Johnson and Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Olympic track athlete Carl Lewis. "She has an amazing spirit," Mr. Lewis said of Ms. Richards, who was also celebrating her 25th birthday.
Sanya Richards and Aaron Ross from The New York Times
Player Tweets
JarradPage44 Thx!!RT @ETDuncan @JarradPage44 happy we got you tendered man. come back and tear it up in KC next year. PageFlowersCarrBerry=best secondary
GlennDorsey72 Shoutouts to my new followers!!!
almighty31 c u n KC for training camp ppl
JarradPage44 Got it on the direct tv channel 820 called beautiful instrumentals tryin to get my son to go to sleep. Lmao #thelifeofaparent
JarradPage44 #somepeople intentionally spell shit wrong to make the word shorter #somepeople just can't spell. Lmao. SMH
Media and Fans
ArrowheadPride What did you expect, it's free agency! RT @QueenJerrica My mind is goin wild right now
SI_PeterKing What great fortune for Sproles, IMO: A returner averaging 72 touches from scrimmage per yr making $14m guar over two yrs. What a country.
mellinger Need a good name for my new blog. Any ideas?
Adam_Schefter RT @EricStangel Jets update- Rex Ryan has put a 1st & 3rd round tender on the Taco Bell Grilled Stuft Burrito Fiesta Platter...
Adam_Schefter Filed to ESPN: Chargers traded cornerback Antonio Cromartie to Jets for a 2011 third-round pick that could turn to a second.
mellinger Ok so far best 3: "best shape of my life" "how bad could it be?" and "this will only hurt a minute"
Adam_Schefter Bears will be busy Friday - visits from DE Julius Peppers and RB Chester Taylor.
SI_PeterKing 40 mins into FA, the headlines: Jets have Cromartie, Delhomme cut, Matt Moore a stunning Panther starting QB ...
RickMaese League source confirms that Redskins are in discussions for Eagles DE Jason Babin
Adam_Schefter Filed to ESPN: Lions wasted no time getting on the board. Free-agent WR Nate Burleson reached agreement with Detroit on a five-year deal.