[bills_phan]

Hello - Bills fan here. The speculation is killing us in Buffalo right now! Anyway, you may be interested in the most detailed update I've read to date.

After working the cell phone and BlackBerry most of Monday trying to land something regarding the Tony Gonzalez trade possibilities, here is some of the info I gathered from various sources close to several different organizations:

--My source close to the Chiefs says that, as of Monday afternoon, the New York Giants had offered a 6th round draft pick for Gonzalez, but the Chiefs asking price was a 3rd rounder. I'm told there had been no other formal offers made by other teams up to that point, including Buffalo. However, the source said that if the Bills - or any other team - were to "get to the 3rd round area, the deal would probably get done."

That doesn't mean there haven't been discussions among teams, just that official offers had not been presented up to that point.

Also, I'm told the Packers may have quietly re-entered the Gonzalez discussions.

There were reports late Monday night stating Gonzalez was "saying goodbye" to his Chiefs teammates and that meant he had already been dealt. That's not necessarily the case. Remember, the official "off day" for NFL players is Tuesday. So, Gonzo was most likely making the rounds just in case he didn't see his current teammates when they returned to work on Wednesday.

As far as Buffalo, here's something to keep an eye on: I'm told the Bills could be working on something else "minor" before the Tuesday 4pm trade deadline. The Bills may not be willing to give up a 3rd round choice for Gonzalez unless they are able to deal a player of their own for a late-round pick in return, whether it's to the Chiefs or any other team. This is an organization that values draft picks very highly, especially since Marv Levy took over a few years ago and then handed the reigns to Russ Brandon and Company. Of course, as the deadline approaches, the pressure of not passing on an opportunity to land a player like Gonzalez may cause the Bills to push a deal through regardless of what else happens.

As far as the Giants, they were most likely waiting until after their Monday night game at Cleveland to get a better evaluation of their tight end position, before deciding to up their offer or not. In that 35-14 loss, Giants tight ends Kevin Boss and Michael Matthews totaled two catches for 37 yards.

Finally, when it's all said and done, the Chiefs may be content with holding on to their future Hall of Fame tight end, at least through the end of the season. He is, after all, the face of their franchise, and they may feel like they can still give him his wish and still receive the compensation they're looking for by waiting until the 2009 draft to deal him.

I'll have more info if and when it comes available to me on Tuesday.

This guy has proved to be VERY reliable in the past.

salsports.com (I can't seem to post the link, but you get the idea!)