No word yet on the status of Kansas City Chiefs DE Jaye Howard, who is prepping for free agency on March 9. Many Chiefs fans expect Howard to hit the free agent market because he played so well in a contract year and the Chiefs have a number of other free agents to consider, including Sean Smith, Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali.
Howard spoke on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Thursday and talks with the Chiefs are currently up in the air.
"It's kinda up in the air," Howard said when asked for an update on the status of his talks with the Chiefs. "Kansas City, you know, became home for me and my family, me and my wife and my two boys. They embraced this. I love the fans there, I love the organization. The front office staff is great, my teammates, I'm surrounded by great players. I would love to be there but ultimately at this point in my career it's about me and my family now."
I remember asking Howard something early this season, before he really broke out, and he mentioned his family and wanting to take care of them. He's a former fourth round pick who has been cut so the fact that he's here with a big payday sitting in front of him is huge for him personally. It's been reported that he's looking for $8-9 million per year but I haven't seen that publicly confirmed from his camp.
"I'm open to going anywhere," Howard said. "I think my versatility is going to make me fit in any scheme. I will love to stay in Kansas City but I'm open to going anywhere that is going to allow me the opportunity to continue my success."
So where could he go? Playing the connection game, the Seahawks make sense. I know they liked Howard despite releasing him in 2013. The Jaguars are coached by Gus Bradley, who was the defensive coordinator in Seattle when he was drafted. The Falcons with Dan Quinn could also make sense as Quinn was the defensive coordinator in Seattle as well.
At least one national reporter thinks he stays in Kansas City, which Chiefs fans would like.