Originally Posted by DJ's left nut (Post 12321058)

I just feel like we've proven that this team can play without him.

Parker at single high and some combination of Fleming/Brown playing Abdullah's role. It worked.

The whole "we look forward to negotiating with him in the off-season" thing is obviously bullshit. He's going to be a year older and with one more year of leverage. He'll have been given another massive single-year salary. If the Chiefs had any interest in giving him the salary he's going to demand next year, they'd have just rolled it into their deal this year.

This isn't like Houston's situation where they weren't entirely sure what they had just yet. What they got out of Berry last year is peak Berry. They know what he is and anything else is actually downside. Houston still had baked in upside and it was to the benefit of both parties to see if he'd reach it before they entered into a long-term arrangement.

Berry is this. He's not going to be better than he was and his decline years are going to start soon enough. If the Chiefs didn't feel he was worth that long-term investment now, they never will.

And if the tag isn't going to be used to create a long-term deal, then it shouldn't be used.

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut (Post 12321058)

I just feel like we've proven that this team can play without him.

Parker at single high and some combination of Fleming/Brown playing Abdullah's role. It worked.

The whole "we look forward to negotiating with him in the off-season" thing is obviously bullshit. He's going to be a year older and with one more year of leverage. He'll have been given another massive single-year salary. If the Chiefs had any interest in giving him the salary he's going to demand next year, they'd have just rolled it into their deal this year.

This isn't like Houston's situation where they weren't entirely sure what they had just yet. What they got out of Berry last year is peak Berry. They know what he is and anything else is actually downside. Houston still had baked in upside and it was to the benefit of both parties to see if he'd reach it before they entered into a long-term arrangement.

Berry is this. He's not going to be better than he was and his decline years are going to start soon enough. If the Chiefs didn't feel he was worth that long-term investment now, they never will.

And if the tag isn't going to be used to create a long-term deal, then it shouldn't be used.

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud (Post 12321059)

It appears as if there was a failure of communication by one or both parties.

Had the Chiefs known that Berry wanted $35 million guaranteed, I would *think* that they would have kept Tyvon Branch at $5 million per and either traded Berry or allowed him to become a free agent, as well as drafting a replacement.

Something isn't adding up, unless it was a gigantic PR move on the Chiefs side. "Hey, we tried".

Originally Posted by Cave Johnson (Post 12321097)

I would have rather the Chiefs had gone this route, PR hit be dammed.

The fact is Berry was overpaid as a safety from his rookie deal, and that served to inflate his contract expectations above positional/market value.

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud (Post 12321102)

Well, to be honest, Clark Hunt's statement about Berry kind of ****ed them.

It's pretty difficult to trade or release a guy weeks after the CEO says that he's a valuable part of the team and its future.

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud (Post 12321059)

It appears as if there was a failure of communication by one or both parties.

Had the Chiefs known that Berry wanted $35 million guaranteed, I would *think* that they would have kept Tyvon Branch at $5 million per and either traded Berry or allowed him to become a free agent, as well as drafting a replacement.

Something isn't adding up, unless it was a gigantic PR move on the Chiefs side. "Hey, we tried".

Originally Posted by Tuckdaddy (Post 12321811)

Hey! Watch it bud! How can anyone not be surprised that he would act like N asshole and not negotiate. Sound like he said 12 mil of **** you Dorsey. He scoffed at 10 mil per year after we paid his ass in 14 for nothing. What a waste of money that was. We helped him and ****ed us.

Originally Posted by Tuckdaddy (Post 12321811)

Hey! Watch it bud! How can anyone not be surprised that he would act like N asshole and not negotiate. Sound like he said 12 mil of **** you Dorsey. He scoffed at 10 mil per year after we paid his ass in 14 for nothing. What a waste of money that was. We helped him and ****ed us.

Originally Posted by ThaVirus (Post 12321868)

You are way too emotionally invested in this stuff.