Don Banks of SI.com has a pretty interesting story out today looking at how the NFL's 32 teams will react once the doors are unlocked and free agency comes. Banks spoke with a few league sources, including a long-time GM, who suggested that those with inexperienced front offices will be the ones to spend like crazy in free agency because they've been sitting around since January waiting for free agency.
If you had to draw up a list of potential big spenders in free agency, based on the inexperience factor as it relates to new or relatively inexperienced front office/coaching/ownership regimes, I suppose you'd be looking in the direction of Tennessee, Seattle, San Francisco, Kansas City, Denver, Carolina and Cleveland.
Banks notes that not all of those teams -- likely meaning the Chiefs -- overspend in free agency. But they might be tempted to this year.
For the Chiefs, I'm not buying it. Sure, GM Scott Pioli is relatively inexperienced as a GM but this isn't his first rodeo. His formidable years in the NFL came under a system that focused on value free agents -- not overspending. Anytime you speak with him about free agency and things like that, he'll probably mention something like: Just because you have money doesn't mean you have to let it burn a hole in your pocket.
If the Chiefs spend any big money once the league year opens, I wouldn't expect it to be on the open market. Instead, I would look for them to, at some point, try to wrap up long-term deals for a few guys in-house. I'm talking about guys like LB Tamba Hali and CB Brandon Flowers because, before the lockout hit, the Chiefs tried to spend some money on both of those guys but they obviously couldn't come to an agreement. Part of the point is that those guys are known commodities with the Chiefs. Barring injury, the Chiefs know pretty well what they're getting in those guys, what type of people they are and how they fit with the team.
So I think the Chiefs will be spending money once the league year opens but high activity in the open market on day one? I don't see it.