Chiefs Packers Also offered a 3rd Rounder - Page 3

Bill Lundberg · 10-15-2008, 10:48 AM

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=806267

Bid to land Gonzalez falls short
Chiefs were willing to deal star tight end for second-round pick
By BOB McGINN
bmcginn@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Oct. 15, 2008
Green Bay - The Green Bay Packers could have acquired tight end Tony Gonzalez from the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday but they refused to part with a second-round draft choice.

A source familiar with negotiations told the Journal Sentinel that Chiefs President Carl Peterson ultimately decided to retain Gonzalez after turning down the best offer from Green Bay, which was a third-round selection. The source said Peterson wanted a second-rounder to make the deal.

The decision by general manager Ted Thompson not to send the second-round pick to Kansas City was made just minutes before the National Football League trading deadline of 3 p.m.

During a day of talks between Green Bay and Kansas City, the Packers increased their compensation offer several times. A source said Gonzalez had told the Chiefs that he would accept a trade to the Packers, and planned to play three more seasons.

This was another example of Thompson’s unwillingness to pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade to obtain another weapon on offense.
In 2006, Thompson had the chance to send a high draft choice to San Diego Chargers for running back Michael Turner.

A year later, Thompson didn’t push hard enough to get wide receiver Randy Moss under contract and watched the New England Patriots acquire him from the Oakland Raiders for a fourth-round selection.

Adam Schefter of the NFL Network reported that Philadelphia, the New York Giants and Buffalo also were negotiating with the Chiefs. He reported that one team offered a third-round pick, another team offered a fourth-round pick and another team offered an unidentified choice plus a player.

An NFL source told the Journal Sentinel that the Bills weren’t a factor because Gonzalez didn’t want to play for them.

According to the source, Gonzalez was livid that the rebuilding Chiefs (1-4), for whom he has caught tight-end record totals of 841 passes for 10,075 yards and 68 touchdowns, refused to let him go for a third-round pick.

Gonzalez, who made the Pro Bowl for a record ninth straight time last season, was highly regarded by coach Mike McCarthy and several members of his staff in Green Bay.

McCarthy coached quarterbacks in Kansas City in 1997 and ’98, Gonzalez’s first two seasons there. Several of his coaches, including Tom Clements, Mike Stock, Carl Hairston and Kurt Schottenheimer, also spent time in Kansas City during Gonzalez’s career, as did vice president Russ Ball and personnel director John Schneider.

As it stands now, the Packers will have their seven choices in the 2009 draft plus a sixth-round pick from New Orleans and no worse than a fourth-round pick from the New York Jets in the trade for Brett Favre.

The compensation for Favre reportedly will increase to a third if Favre plays at least 50% of the snaps, and to a second if he plays at least 70% and the Jets reach the playoffs.

If the trade with Green Bay had been consummated, the Packers would have picked up the final 3½ years of Gonzalez’s contract, or a total amount of $19.397 million.

This year, Green Bay would have had to pay 11/17ths of his guaranteed $1 million base salary, or $647,059. His contract included base salaries of $4 million in 2009 (all guaranteed), $4.5 million in 2010 ($1.75 million guaranteed) and $5.75 million in 2011, and roster bonuses of $500,000 in ’09, $2 million in ’10 and $2 million in ’11.

The Packers currently stand $20.05 million beneath the salary cap, a total exceeded by only Tampa Bay and Kansas City among the 32 teams.

By adding Gonzalez, the Packers’ weapons on offense would have compared favorably with any team in the NFL. His ability to make clutch possession catches and stretch the field was evident last season in Week 8, when he caught 10 passes for 109 yards and one touchdown against Green Bay.

Gonzalez recently requested a trade from the Chiefs because he wanted the chance to play for a playoff contender.

“I’m winding down in my career and I’m thinking this is not what I signed on for last year when I redid my deal,” Gonzalez said in August. “I haven’t even won a playoff game. You can look back and say you had a pretty good career, but I want to be able to say I went to the playoffs, I won some playoff games and I went to the Super Bowl.”

The Packers signed tight end Donald Lee to a four-year, $11.88 million deal last November when he was an integral part of their passing game. But Lee has been less involved with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.

Tory Humphrey is the No. 2 tight end and rookie Jermichael Finley, a third-round draft choice, is No. 3. Finley has been slow to develop and doesn’t have a reception.

Under Thompson, the Packers have drafted eight players in the second round. The list include Nick Collins, Terrence Murphy, Daryn Colledge, Greg Jennings, Brandon Jackson, Jordy Nelson, Brian Brohm and Pat Lee.

Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

10-15-2008, 10:48 AM	Topic Starter
Bill Lundberg American Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Overland Park Casino cash: $10004925	Packers Also offered a 3rd Rounder http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=806267 Bid to land Gonzalez falls short Chiefs were willing to deal star tight end for second-round pick By BOB McGINN bmcginn@journalsentinel.com Posted: Oct. 15, 2008 Green Bay - The Green Bay Packers could have acquired tight end Tony Gonzalez from the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday but they refused to part with a second-round draft choice. A source familiar with negotiations told the Journal Sentinel that Chiefs President Carl Peterson ultimately decided to retain Gonzalez after turning down the best offer from Green Bay, which was a third-round selection. The source said Peterson wanted a second-rounder to make the deal. The decision by general manager Ted Thompson not to send the second-round pick to Kansas City was made just minutes before the National Football League trading deadline of 3 p.m. During a day of talks between Green Bay and Kansas City, the Packers increased their compensation offer several times. A source said Gonzalez had told the Chiefs that he would accept a trade to the Packers, and planned to play three more seasons. This was another example of Thompson’s unwillingness to pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade to obtain another weapon on offense. In 2006, Thompson had the chance to send a high draft choice to San Diego Chargers for running back Michael Turner. A year later, Thompson didn’t push hard enough to get wide receiver Randy Moss under contract and watched the New England Patriots acquire him from the Oakland Raiders for a fourth-round selection. Adam Schefter of the NFL Network reported that Philadelphia, the New York Giants and Buffalo also were negotiating with the Chiefs. He reported that one team offered a third-round pick, another team offered a fourth-round pick and another team offered an unidentified choice plus a player. An NFL source told the Journal Sentinel that the Bills weren’t a factor because Gonzalez didn’t want to play for them. According to the source, Gonzalez was livid that the rebuilding Chiefs (1-4), for whom he has caught tight-end record totals of 841 passes for 10,075 yards and 68 touchdowns, refused to let him go for a third-round pick. Gonzalez, who made the Pro Bowl for a record ninth straight time last season, was highly regarded by coach Mike McCarthy and several members of his staff in Green Bay. McCarthy coached quarterbacks in Kansas City in 1997 and ’98, Gonzalez’s first two seasons there. Several of his coaches, including Tom Clements, Mike Stock, Carl Hairston and Kurt Schottenheimer, also spent time in Kansas City during Gonzalez’s career, as did vice president Russ Ball and personnel director John Schneider. As it stands now, the Packers will have their seven choices in the 2009 draft plus a sixth-round pick from New Orleans and no worse than a fourth-round pick from the New York Jets in the trade for Brett Favre. The compensation for Favre reportedly will increase to a third if Favre plays at least 50% of the snaps, and to a second if he plays at least 70% and the Jets reach the playoffs. If the trade with Green Bay had been consummated, the Packers would have picked up the final 3½ years of Gonzalez’s contract, or a total amount of $19.397 million. This year, Green Bay would have had to pay 11/17ths of his guaranteed $1 million base salary, or $647,059. His contract included base salaries of $4 million in 2009 (all guaranteed), $4.5 million in 2010 ($1.75 million guaranteed) and $5.75 million in 2011, and roster bonuses of $500,000 in ’09, $2 million in ’10 and $2 million in ’11. The Packers currently stand $20.05 million beneath the salary cap, a total exceeded by only Tampa Bay and Kansas City among the 32 teams. By adding Gonzalez, the Packers’ weapons on offense would have compared favorably with any team in the NFL. His ability to make clutch possession catches and stretch the field was evident last season in Week 8, when he caught 10 passes for 109 yards and one touchdown against Green Bay. Gonzalez recently requested a trade from the Chiefs because he wanted the chance to play for a playoff contender. “I’m winding down in my career and I’m thinking this is not what I signed on for last year when I redid my deal,” Gonzalez said in August. “I haven’t even won a playoff game. You can look back and say you had a pretty good career, but I want to be able to say I went to the playoffs, I won some playoff games and I went to the Super Bowl.” The Packers signed tight end Donald Lee to a four-year, $11.88 million deal last November when he was an integral part of their passing game. But Lee has been less involved with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Tory Humphrey is the No. 2 tight end and rookie Jermichael Finley, a third-round draft choice, is No. 3. Finley has been slow to develop and doesn’t have a reception. Under Thompson, the Packers have drafted eight players in the second round. The list include Nick Collins, Terrence Murphy, Daryn Colledge, Greg Jennings, Brandon Jackson, Jordy Nelson, Brian Brohm and Pat Lee. Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
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