Hammock Parties
03-03-2006, 02:11 AM
FOUR DEFENSIVE VETERANS ARE RELEASED
CAP-SIZED CHIEFS
Shields isn’t one of four cut, but he is not sure he’ll return
By ELIZABETH MERRILL
The Kansas City Star
Wacky would be the word to describe Thursday in Kansas City and throughout the NFL. On a day when negotiations for an extension of the collective-bargaining agreement reached an impasse and then ended with a glimmer of hope, starting cornerback Eric Warfield was cut along with three other Chiefs defensive veterans.
And guard Will Shields was in the same spot he was 10 hours earlier.
In limbo.
“I could play here, I could play for another team, or I could not play at all. You never can tell,” said Shields, an 11-time Pro Bowler whose $5.1 million salary, coupled with the Chiefs’ dicey cap situation, led a couple of media outlets to jump the gun Thursday and report that he had been cut.
“I’m not going to worry about it. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen.”
It happened Thursday afternoon for Warfield, who got a call from Chiefs president/general manager Carl Peterson saying the club had terminated Warfield’s contract. Warfield had been in Kansas City for eight years that were scarred by legal issues and the ire of fans. He was considered the Chiefs’ top cornerback before the 2005 season.
Linebackers Gary Stills and Shawn Barber and cornerback Dexter McCleon also were cut in an attempt to get below the salary cap by the Thursday night deadline.
Just after they were released, word hit that the start of the NFL new year had been pushed back to 12:01 a.m. Monday, meaning the deadline for teams to get below the salary cap is now 5 p.m. Central time Sunday.
Thursday’s moves cleared about $6 million for Kansas City, and Peterson said between four and six players have agreed to restructure their contracts to help the Chiefs get below the cap.
Salary documents recently provided to The Star showed the Chiefs with $116 million of commitments before the cuts and adjustments. In a recent interview, Peterson ballparked the Chiefs to be about $14 million over the cap. If there is an agreement this weekend, teams could be provided with at least $10 million of extra salary-cap space over the 2006 number of $94.5 million.
“Right now we’re kind of hitting a moving target,” Peterson said. “So I’m going to keep our options open as I always do to try and determine what the best thing is for the Kansas City Chiefs.”
Warfield’s release leaves a gaping hole in the secondary. He started 77 games and spent his entire career in Kansas City. But Peterson said he’s confident in backups Julian Battle and Benny Sapp and said the Chiefs might try to acquire a cornerback through the draft.
Asked whether veteran Ty Law could be in the mix, Peterson said, “No, not really. It’s someone we’ll talk about, but we’re looking for younger guys, OK? We may talk to him, but he’s not a long-term solution, that’s for sure.”
Retaining Shields would go against that youth movement, but Peterson made it clear Thursday that Shields is a special situation. He’s started 207 straight games and has been the anchor of one of the NFL’s best offensive lines. He sat for much of training camp in 2005 but made it back to the Pro Bowl again this winter.
Shields was uncharacteristically pessimistic Thursday morning when he showed up at Operation Breakthrough as part of Read Across America Day. He said he still had the urge to play but wasn’t sure whether he could continue as a Chief.
At one point during his reading session, a Chiefs public-relations person mentioned something to Shields about making a mental note for next year.
Shields flashed back a coy look. “Next year?” he said.
“You always think you’re worth the money you’re due,” Shields said. “If not, what are you negotiating for?”
Peterson said there is a misunderstanding about the media’s perception of Shields’ situation.
“If it’s necessary for us to terminate the last year of his contract,” Peterson said, “No. 1, it’s not going to be a surprise to Will or his agent or anybody else because when we did this contract six years ago, I think all of us at the time understand free-agency, and very, very seldom does a guy get to play the entire contract out that he signed.
“Based on what happens here, if we terminate his contract, we are not terminating Will Shields’ opportunity for finishing his career with the Kansas City Chiefs. The first and foremost thing from the beginning has been Will’s decision about what he wants to do.”
Shields has contemplated retirement for at least a year, but his agent, Joe Linta, said Shields wants to play at least one, maybe two, more years. Peterson said Shields has not told the Chiefs he intends to keep playing.
“I’ve done everything except hire a skywriter,” Linta said. “He’s playing in ’06.”
But by Thursday afternoon, nobody in Shields’ camp knew much more than that. He planned to coach basketball Thursday night. He planned to stay far away from the phone.
Shields finished Dr. Seuss’ Wacky Wednesday and sat for a minute while the kids filtered out of the room. One little boy stopped and said, “Goodbye, Dr. Seuss.”
As coy as Shields has been in 13 years in Kansas City, one thing is clear. He’s not ready to say goodbye.
CAP-SIZED CHIEFS
Shields isn’t one of four cut, but he is not sure he’ll return
By ELIZABETH MERRILL
The Kansas City Star
Wacky would be the word to describe Thursday in Kansas City and throughout the NFL. On a day when negotiations for an extension of the collective-bargaining agreement reached an impasse and then ended with a glimmer of hope, starting cornerback Eric Warfield was cut along with three other Chiefs defensive veterans.
And guard Will Shields was in the same spot he was 10 hours earlier.
In limbo.
“I could play here, I could play for another team, or I could not play at all. You never can tell,” said Shields, an 11-time Pro Bowler whose $5.1 million salary, coupled with the Chiefs’ dicey cap situation, led a couple of media outlets to jump the gun Thursday and report that he had been cut.
“I’m not going to worry about it. If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen.”
It happened Thursday afternoon for Warfield, who got a call from Chiefs president/general manager Carl Peterson saying the club had terminated Warfield’s contract. Warfield had been in Kansas City for eight years that were scarred by legal issues and the ire of fans. He was considered the Chiefs’ top cornerback before the 2005 season.
Linebackers Gary Stills and Shawn Barber and cornerback Dexter McCleon also were cut in an attempt to get below the salary cap by the Thursday night deadline.
Just after they were released, word hit that the start of the NFL new year had been pushed back to 12:01 a.m. Monday, meaning the deadline for teams to get below the salary cap is now 5 p.m. Central time Sunday.
Thursday’s moves cleared about $6 million for Kansas City, and Peterson said between four and six players have agreed to restructure their contracts to help the Chiefs get below the cap.
Salary documents recently provided to The Star showed the Chiefs with $116 million of commitments before the cuts and adjustments. In a recent interview, Peterson ballparked the Chiefs to be about $14 million over the cap. If there is an agreement this weekend, teams could be provided with at least $10 million of extra salary-cap space over the 2006 number of $94.5 million.
“Right now we’re kind of hitting a moving target,” Peterson said. “So I’m going to keep our options open as I always do to try and determine what the best thing is for the Kansas City Chiefs.”
Warfield’s release leaves a gaping hole in the secondary. He started 77 games and spent his entire career in Kansas City. But Peterson said he’s confident in backups Julian Battle and Benny Sapp and said the Chiefs might try to acquire a cornerback through the draft.
Asked whether veteran Ty Law could be in the mix, Peterson said, “No, not really. It’s someone we’ll talk about, but we’re looking for younger guys, OK? We may talk to him, but he’s not a long-term solution, that’s for sure.”
Retaining Shields would go against that youth movement, but Peterson made it clear Thursday that Shields is a special situation. He’s started 207 straight games and has been the anchor of one of the NFL’s best offensive lines. He sat for much of training camp in 2005 but made it back to the Pro Bowl again this winter.
Shields was uncharacteristically pessimistic Thursday morning when he showed up at Operation Breakthrough as part of Read Across America Day. He said he still had the urge to play but wasn’t sure whether he could continue as a Chief.
At one point during his reading session, a Chiefs public-relations person mentioned something to Shields about making a mental note for next year.
Shields flashed back a coy look. “Next year?” he said.
“You always think you’re worth the money you’re due,” Shields said. “If not, what are you negotiating for?”
Peterson said there is a misunderstanding about the media’s perception of Shields’ situation.
“If it’s necessary for us to terminate the last year of his contract,” Peterson said, “No. 1, it’s not going to be a surprise to Will or his agent or anybody else because when we did this contract six years ago, I think all of us at the time understand free-agency, and very, very seldom does a guy get to play the entire contract out that he signed.
“Based on what happens here, if we terminate his contract, we are not terminating Will Shields’ opportunity for finishing his career with the Kansas City Chiefs. The first and foremost thing from the beginning has been Will’s decision about what he wants to do.”
Shields has contemplated retirement for at least a year, but his agent, Joe Linta, said Shields wants to play at least one, maybe two, more years. Peterson said Shields has not told the Chiefs he intends to keep playing.
“I’ve done everything except hire a skywriter,” Linta said. “He’s playing in ’06.”
But by Thursday afternoon, nobody in Shields’ camp knew much more than that. He planned to coach basketball Thursday night. He planned to stay far away from the phone.
Shields finished Dr. Seuss’ Wacky Wednesday and sat for a minute while the kids filtered out of the room. One little boy stopped and said, “Goodbye, Dr. Seuss.”
As coy as Shields has been in 13 years in Kansas City, one thing is clear. He’s not ready to say goodbye.