Coach
03-06-2008, 04:33 PM
Haven't seen this posted.
Wesley wants Chiefs to let him go
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Greg Wesley’s resolve to keep silent started to weaken recently when the Chiefs released several other veterans, but not him.
That resolve disappeared altogether as Wesley saw other safeties like Madieu Williams and Gibril Wilson receive massive paydays on the free-agent market.
So Wesley took public his desire to be traded or released, something he long ago asked the Chiefs.
“I’ve talked with everybody: Carl (Peterson), Gunther (Cunningham), Herm (Edwards),” said Wesley, who will turn 30 this month. “I’ve just told them we all know I’m not in their plans, so why are they holding me? They’ve had more than a year to trade me. They could have traded me last year. They chose not to. I was good about it, didn’t cause distractions or problems during the season. I was really good about it, considering the way they handled it.
“Now that’s over. It’s a business, and I understand that maybe they were doing what they needed to do. But just let me go now. They’re holding me here, and teams need safeties. Let me find another team. Are they going to hold me until there are no more jobs? I could find a pretty good deal out there right now, but if they hold me much longer, I’m going to get a (lesser) contract.”
That’s the reason for Wesley’s urgency. The free-agent market has already started to dry up as teams fill their needs.
“They told me they were going to let me go right when the season was over,” Wesley said. “But I’m still here, and look what’s happening now. Guys are signing with other teams and taking jobs away from me.
“This is my livelihood. My career took a little bit of a hit last year. I’ve been a starter, and then last year they gave a guy my position. There was no competition. They just gave it to him. So it’s obvious they don’t want me. So why not let me go on my way? Let me get my career back on track. Let me go play. I’m not a backup.”
The Chiefs declined to respond to questions about Wesley other than to say they would try to exhaust all possibilities to trade him.
“They tell me I’m too valuable to just let me go,” Wesley said. “Huh? If I’m so valuable, I would have been starting last year. I know I’m not going to be here next year, and they know it. So just let me go on my way.
“A lot of teams are releasing guys they could hold. But they just release them out of respect for them. I’ve been here eight years and worked hard. I understand it’s a business, but I think I’ve earned it because I’ve done a lot for the Chiefs. Look at what Atlanta did for Warrick Dunn. They just let him go.”
The contract Wesley signed with the Chiefs in 2004 runs two more seasons. He is due $3.2 million in salary and bonuses this year and $3.7 million in 2009.
Wesley’s unhappiness with the Chiefs began in earnest last year. His starting-safety spot of seven seasons was, he said, given away without competition when the Chiefs made regulars of Jarrad Page and Bernard Pollard.
He asked out last year, and the Chiefs almost had a deal in place with Denver for a fourth-round draft pick. The Chiefs, not wanting to send him to an AFC West rival, backed out right before the trade was made.
They later could have sent him to Houston for a seventh-round choice, but that deal was scrapped when Wesley wouldn’t agree to take a pay cut.
“We don’t play the game for free,” Wesley said.
The Chiefs recently tried to rekindle trade talks by offering Wesley to the Broncos for cornerback Karl Paymah. Denver refused.
“It’s going to be almost impossible for the Chiefs to trade Greg now,” said Wesley’s agent, Drew Pittman. “The Chiefs gave me permission to find a trade for Greg, and I’ve talked to all of the other teams. There’s no interest. Part of the reason is that the Chiefs had a trade worked out last year and backed out of it.”
Wesley wants Chiefs to let him go
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Greg Wesley’s resolve to keep silent started to weaken recently when the Chiefs released several other veterans, but not him.
That resolve disappeared altogether as Wesley saw other safeties like Madieu Williams and Gibril Wilson receive massive paydays on the free-agent market.
So Wesley took public his desire to be traded or released, something he long ago asked the Chiefs.
“I’ve talked with everybody: Carl (Peterson), Gunther (Cunningham), Herm (Edwards),” said Wesley, who will turn 30 this month. “I’ve just told them we all know I’m not in their plans, so why are they holding me? They’ve had more than a year to trade me. They could have traded me last year. They chose not to. I was good about it, didn’t cause distractions or problems during the season. I was really good about it, considering the way they handled it.
“Now that’s over. It’s a business, and I understand that maybe they were doing what they needed to do. But just let me go now. They’re holding me here, and teams need safeties. Let me find another team. Are they going to hold me until there are no more jobs? I could find a pretty good deal out there right now, but if they hold me much longer, I’m going to get a (lesser) contract.”
That’s the reason for Wesley’s urgency. The free-agent market has already started to dry up as teams fill their needs.
“They told me they were going to let me go right when the season was over,” Wesley said. “But I’m still here, and look what’s happening now. Guys are signing with other teams and taking jobs away from me.
“This is my livelihood. My career took a little bit of a hit last year. I’ve been a starter, and then last year they gave a guy my position. There was no competition. They just gave it to him. So it’s obvious they don’t want me. So why not let me go on my way? Let me get my career back on track. Let me go play. I’m not a backup.”
The Chiefs declined to respond to questions about Wesley other than to say they would try to exhaust all possibilities to trade him.
“They tell me I’m too valuable to just let me go,” Wesley said. “Huh? If I’m so valuable, I would have been starting last year. I know I’m not going to be here next year, and they know it. So just let me go on my way.
“A lot of teams are releasing guys they could hold. But they just release them out of respect for them. I’ve been here eight years and worked hard. I understand it’s a business, but I think I’ve earned it because I’ve done a lot for the Chiefs. Look at what Atlanta did for Warrick Dunn. They just let him go.”
The contract Wesley signed with the Chiefs in 2004 runs two more seasons. He is due $3.2 million in salary and bonuses this year and $3.7 million in 2009.
Wesley’s unhappiness with the Chiefs began in earnest last year. His starting-safety spot of seven seasons was, he said, given away without competition when the Chiefs made regulars of Jarrad Page and Bernard Pollard.
He asked out last year, and the Chiefs almost had a deal in place with Denver for a fourth-round draft pick. The Chiefs, not wanting to send him to an AFC West rival, backed out right before the trade was made.
They later could have sent him to Houston for a seventh-round choice, but that deal was scrapped when Wesley wouldn’t agree to take a pay cut.
“We don’t play the game for free,” Wesley said.
The Chiefs recently tried to rekindle trade talks by offering Wesley to the Broncos for cornerback Karl Paymah. Denver refused.
“It’s going to be almost impossible for the Chiefs to trade Greg now,” said Wesley’s agent, Drew Pittman. “The Chiefs gave me permission to find a trade for Greg, and I’ve talked to all of the other teams. There’s no interest. Part of the reason is that the Chiefs had a trade worked out last year and backed out of it.”