Why didn't Chiefs get in on the Brandon Marshall trade?

The Chicago Bears have traded WR Brandon Marshall to the New York Jets, according to multiple reports. The deal is reportedly for a fifth round pick.

I've already started to get this question:

Why couldn't the Chiefs give up a fifth round pick for Brandon Marshall?

On the surface, it's a good question. The Chiefs have a need at receiver and a fifth round pick for a top 20-25 receiver like Marshall seems like a good deal.

The reason why the Chiefs wouldn't want to do this trade comes down to age and the salary cap. Marshall has three years remaining on his contract, which includes a nearly $10 million salary cap number in 2015. That is why the Chiefs should not have traded for Marshall. They've already got their own high-priced receiver to worry about in Dwayne Bowe, who would save only $5 million off the cap if released.

That said ... IF the Chiefs want to create cap space for a high-priced player, they can. They can release Bowe, Tamba Hali, Mike DeVito, Chase Daniel and others in order to create enough room. There's almost always a way to create more cap space if you really want to.

The thing is, if the Chiefs were going to mortgage the future of the cap for a player, I don't want it to be for a receiver on the wrong side of 30. I would rather it be someone who could realistically play out his contract, such as Randall Cobb (24 years old) or Jeremy Maclin (26 years old).

So the Chiefs probably could have fit a $10 million cap number in ... but it doesn't make long-term sense for Marshall.