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The Kansas City Chiefs decided to go with the rookie kicker Cairo Santos over the veteran Ryan Succop, who has been with the Chiefs since they selected him Mr. Irrelevant in the 2009 NFL Draft (that's the last pick in the draft for those who don't know).
This was one of the top 2-3 most interesting position battles for the Chiefs this offseason (yeah, a kicker) so we were all anxious to see whether the rookie could supplant the vet.
The question now is whether the Chiefs made the right move. The Chiefs aren't always right so it could just as easily be a great a move as it could one that blows up in the Chiefs face.
There were two big factors in this decision.
Preseason performance
I watched both during training camp and one kicker wasn't noticeably better than the other. It's been a tight race ever since Santos arrived. Here's what Santos and Succop did in the preseason. They were both pretty darn even.
| Cairo Santos | Ryan Succop | |
| Games | 4 | 3 |
| Kickoffs | 11 | 8 |
| Touchbacks | 3 | 5 |
| Kickoff yards | 662 | 526 |
| Extra points | 5 | 4 |
| Field goals | 3 | 3 |
| Field goal attempts | 3 | 3 |
| Field goal long | 44 | 54 |
| Points | 14 | 13 |
Money
Here's the big difference between the two. As an undrafted rookie, Santos is scheduled to make $420,000 while Succop is due $2 million.
All things being equal, it's understandable the Chiefs decide to go with the cheaper option, especially when you have a few important players who need new deals.
So was this the right move? Vote in our poll below.