The Kansas City Chiefs are already paying big money to one cornerback, so it stands to reason that they might not be as willing to pay the opposite side big money as well -- specifically to free agent to be Brandon Carr. Carr and Dwayne Bowe are the two big free agents staring back at the Chiefs as they explore their offseason game plan. As they consider both, ESPN's John Clayton says that Bowe might take precedence.
Clayton writes, "Matt in Kansas City wonders which free agent the Chiefs will retain sooner, Dwayne Bowe or Brandon Carr. Because they paid so much for Brandon Flowers (five years, $52.5 million), it probably will be harder to keep Carr. The strategy would be to get a long-term contract with Bowe, then maybe franchise Carr."
To the same effect, however, you could say that the NFL Draft investment made in first round choice Jon Baldwin to go with Steve Breaston as a free agent last season for a five-year deal could nullify Bowe's worth or at least the necessity of targeting him first. In other words, both arguments are actually unnecessary.
The reality is that the Chiefs are sitting on around $27 million in salary cap money they did not spend last season. These extensions could have been done already. Yet it's clear the Chiefs don't want to pay either player or have another plan in mind. Carr might not want to re-sign. The same could be said for Bowe. But the franchise tag is there to use and many of these deals do not find their authorship until the final hour. That time is coming soon.