Could Chiefs Dwayne Bowe Or Brandon Flowers Possibly Hold Out Once NFL Lockout Ends?

Thus far, the Kansas City Chiefs have been able to avoid any of the drama that has plagued other NFL franchises. The Steelers are trying to figure out how to handle the recent James Harrison debacle. The Bengals are sorting out the Carson Palmer trade-or-retire scenario as well as the recent arrest of Cedric Benson. But if the NFL is akin to a water park (go with me, here) the Chiefs have enjoyed their ride along the lazy river. It's the Chiefs way by now, to get with the program or get out. Thus far, it's working quite well.

But a recent mailbag column from Adam Schefter raises some interesting questions. Everything in the NFL, as we've been witnessing, is all about money. Everyone wants to get paid, to put it simply. Once the NFLPA has received its own share and made sure the greater union is getting its money, then it's up to the individual players to make a ruckus. And you better believe that once the curtain is lifted, certain players will be screaming for what they believe to be a fair market deal.

Schefter tackles this topic in his latest column at ESPN. In addition to identifying Chris Johnson as the most likely candidate to hold out, he also describes others. "DeSean Jackson isn't far behind. Adrian Peterson will want a new deal. Plenty of players will -- they always do, and why not? But teams and agents have been more focused on seeing the big labor deal get done before they can move on to individual deals. If and when the labor deal is done, we'll move on to the individual deals, and there always will be plenty of conversation."

It begs the question of whether or not the Chiefs have a player who could join the ranks of a Chris Johnson or DeSean Jackson -- someone woefully underpaid who might have enough fire to make a fuss about it. Brandon Flowers is one of the best young corners in the NFL -- a position that Nnamdi Asomugha is about to show everyone the monetary value of -- and yet he's only receiving $550K this season. Dwayne Bowe is finishing a five-year deal he signed back in August of 2007, which is paying last year's leader in receiving touchdowns only $690K. Both players are clearly underpaid given their impact on the team.

Of course, neither player has given any indications of holding out, so this is all speculation. The Chiefs will hopefully have everyone in camp and ready to play once the lockout is lifted, but if any players warranted much larger paychecks than what they're getting, it would be Flowers and Bowe.