***** THE REAL UPDATE *****
A lot to share here so bear with me.
I spent 3 hours with my buddy last night and it was late before we called it a night. I was busy all day and didn’t have all the facts on paper until tonight.
I asked a lot of detailed questions this time and got most … if not all of the story.
Let’s start back before the draft in April. It has been reported in several media sources that Kansas City was in trade talk negotiations with Arizona for DeHop. And that those negotiations ALMOST turned into a trade. It was then reported that the negotiations broke down after OBJ signed with the Ravens for 15 Million.
This was all confirmed by my guy last night but he also added some details. KC offered a 3rd and a 6th in the upcoming draft … and a player. (My guy did not know who the player was) but Arizona wanted a 2nd rounder instead of 3rd.
KC was pondering its options when the OBJ signing went down … and DeHop … at the time was still his own agent … felt that he deserved at least what OBJ got. The deal withered on the vine and never took place.
Once released last week … the Chiefs wanted to be the first in line in the DeHop sweepstakes so they got Justin Reid to invite his old buddy to town with the intention of applying a full court press to sign the man before any other team could jump ahead of them.
Those plans were put off a few days as the Cardinals didn’t make his release OFFICIAL until the first of this week. The Chiefs couldn’t negotiate with him until they did and the league was properly notified.
DeHop agreed to stay in town to see what developed. The new agent flew into meet his client and the fun began. It all went down pretty quick Tuesday and Wednesday.
I’m told there were two offers extended to DeHop. The first offer was prepared late Friday afternoon in anticipation of his arrival over the weekend. It was also prepared before the new agent was announced.
I’m also told this 1st offer was about like you’d expect. An incentive based one year offer with a large signing bonus. My guy did not know the figures involved.
Once the DeHop release became official … he agreed to take a physical at the team’s request. I’m sure many of you on here can understand WHY they asked for a physical before negotiations began in earnest due to some history involving the player. (And there is some question whether the league will force any suspensions THIS YEAR for things that happened with him last year).
He passed the physical with flying colors and the negotiations commenced.
Let me add here that a second offer was prepared on Monday after the agent arrived so the team had a back-up plan if the original offer was rejected.
After meeting with team officials along with a general welcome committee … the contract people for the team … along with DeHop and his agent met in a conference room.
The first offer was presented and the agent flatly turned it down. (Let's try Plan B)
Sometime Tuesday afternoon the second offer was presented. It was a two year offer with less incentives … a bit more money … and a larger signing bonus. DeHop and his agent asked for some time to mull things over. This was granted and negotiations were suspended until Wednesday.
Let me interject this here … it was sometime Tuesday … and all day Wednesday … that the Chiefs … and the local news media’s started posting clips and articles about the
Chiefs promising new young wide receivers.
This was ALL PLANNED by the team.
I think it was CP member “Detoxing” who noted that “the Chiefs would like to HAVE DeHop … but they don’t want to give him the leverage of thinking that they NEED DeHop” Nice job sir!
On Wednesday negotiations resumed. Agent Kelton Crenshaw turned down the two year offer on behalf of his client … and presented the team with a new THREE YEAR offer of his own.
The team asked for some time to think about it and mull some things over. They were scheduled to get back together late Wednesday afternoon.
This was about the same time DeHop posted the “three monkeys” tweet on Twitter. (See no evil … hear no evil … speak no evil) I think he truly believed he was about to become a Chief!
My guy wasn’t 100% sure but he believed the deal they presented was something like 3 years … 16 million per year … incentives included … an opt-out clause after year two … and a 30 million dollar guarantee at signing. HOLY CRAP BATMAN!
And believe it or not … KC actually gave this some thought!
He said that their thinking was something like … DeHop turns 31 next Monday … OK … What did Travis Kelce do in his 31, 32, and 33 years of age playing? He was the best tight end in football. Could DeHop do that too? They also considered how long the window could be open for Travis Kelce before he retires and runs off to Hollywood? It is worth it to take this chance to field two of the best receivers in football?
In the end the answer was no … not at this time. KC also declined to counter their offer and thanked everyone for taking the time to sit down and talk. The door was left open to future negotiations this summer … should the opportunity arrive.
Another thing that he said played into the teams refusal was that the contract renegotiations that I mentioned earlier have NOT been finalized as yet. The team is not 100% sure where the cap space is going to be before training camp. He also mentioned that there is some chatter about bringing the Shark back for 2023. That was in play too.
So DeHop is NOT a Chief as yet … and he left town last night. I’m 100% sure that’s why many of the media sources started reporting this morning of DeHop with his sudden new interest in rejoining Texas again … or reuniting with BoB in New England. I’m guessing his new agent is behind all these new “leaks.”
The bottom line is this guys … DeHop is more about money than a ring! Even though he has earned over 100 million dollars in his career to date.
But there is also evidence that he shares his wealth with others as he regularly takes underprivileged kids on shopping trips and helps feed the homeless. He’s not a bad guy … but a bit greedy at this stage of his career. There’s also the PED issue and how that might play out at the beginning of the season to consider.
All in all … I think the team made the right move at this stage of the year.
Toney has the tools to be a true number one receiver in the NFL … but can he stay healthy for 20 games? And what will the young kids do this year? We’re not at practice every day so we don’t see what Andy and Bart sees. Maybe one or two of them are really stepping up their game?
The ONLY difference between DeHop and the young kids are …
AGE
And being a proven receiver in tough ball games.
The young kids can’t prove how good they are on the field until given the chance to excel. A couple of them MAY prove that they have the same skill set as DeHop … and are 10 years younger than the man we just sent on his merry way.
I know this isn't the news most of you were wanting to hear ... me included ... But keep in mind ... the door is still open and maybe something will happen before training camp.
If anything else pops … I will jump back in here.
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