NFL free agency: Chiefs shouldn't get cash-happy in March

As a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, you likely want to see some significant improvement to the team once free agency begins on March 11.

The Chiefs shocked many last season and went 11-5, making the playoffs before losing in the most gut-wrenching way possible. Left with a bad taste in their mouths, general manager John Dorsey and head coach Andy Reid went home to regroup, eat, and then starting moving toward a potential Super Bowl title in the 2014-15 campaign.

To accomplish those dreams, they have to remember a single rule: Don't get cash-happy in March.

Each year, fans of 32 teams go crazy with the thought of signing every possible free agent that is talented, lauded by the media, breathing and expensive. This year, those players are Eric Decker, Jairus Byrd, T.J. Ward and others. Certainly, all will be paid a premium for their services. None of them are worth it.

Wise front offices realize that the "best" free agents are rarely the right ones. They come with the glitz and glamour, earn some airwave buzz and get fans excited, but in reality they are fool's gold. They eat up cap space and are already either past their primes or at the back end of it. Don't forget, teams let these players go for a reason. They aren't worth the money they want.

In Byrd's case, there are multiple reports saying the Buffalo Bills were prepared to make him the highest paid safety in NFL history, and he turned it down. Buffalo should be dancing in the streets. The Bills have lost consistently with him, they can lose without him. They can turn that saved money into two or three good players.

Byrd is a nice player, but he's not the best free safety in football. Any team which pays him like he is has lost its mind. He's not worth the money.

Same can be said for a receiver like Andre Roberts. Take Roberts and put him on the Denver Broncos with Peyton Manning. Is Eric Decker worth twice or three times the amount Roberts is going to get paid?

Free agency is about supplementing the team with quality at a nice value. Chris Clemons represents somebody who might be available for a third of what Byrd wants. Is Byrd three times the player? Please. Byrd has been a productive player on a bad team for years, and will help somebody in theory. Then again, couldn't the same be said for Albert Haynesworth, Jerry Porter, Larry Brown and Santonio Holmes?

All were anointed the best players available at their position. All got paid. All did very little. Just because you're the best available, doesn't mean you deserve top dollar. In fact, because you are available, sometimes it means you are not a top player.

Kansas City should be active in free agency, but be prudent. Sign quality players who represent a legitimate talent that matches the salary given. Men like Clemons are what I'm suggesting. He's a good player, a huge upgrade over Kendrick Lewis, and very affordable. Don't be cheap, but let's not make it rain either.

Dorsey needs to be smart, stick to his principles and make the best decisions for the Chiefs, not media consumption.