Chiefs Free Agency: Crowded Cornerback Market Could Work Well For Brandon Carr's Return To Kansas City

Feb 10 8:16a by Matt Conner

There's no way to tell how things will play out. If Brandon Carr wants to be finished with his time in Kansas City, then there's nothing the team can do about it unless it wants to franchise a player that doesn't want to be here. And if, for some reason, the Chiefs do not want to have their starting cornerback return in 2012, then they can let him walk via free agency. But if the team is hoping to re-sign him to a long-term deal, the market might be helping their case just a bit.

While Carr would undoubtedly be the top player available in the cornerback market, there are other options available for teams looking for secondary help. Stanford Routt is the latest addition to that group after the Raiders released him yesterday. He falls right in line with several others who will be available and might lower Carr's demands given the amount of solid veteran corners out there.

Gregg Rosenthal writes, "The release of Stanford Routt on Thursday adds to an already deep group. Routt isn’t a Pro Bowler, but he’s been a decent starter at times in his career. Those guys usually get paid. Routt wouldn’t crack my top five-cornerbacks slated for the open market. Cortland Finnegan, Brent Grimes, Brandon Carr, Tracy Porter, and Carlos Rogers are all attractive options. The first three names above are so attractive that they may get stuck with the franchise tag. After those five names, guys like Routt, Terrell Thomas, Eric Wright, and Aaron Ross figure to attract significant interest."

Some of those are older while some are more limited than Carr, so he will definitely get his money. But the Chiefs might be more attractive if they are offering the money he wants and the outrageous suitor isn't out there after all (i.e. the Washington Redskins most off-seasons). Here's hoping the Chiefs have Carr back in 2012 and beyond.