A connection was made. The Kansas City Chiefs were listed among the teams who sat down and spoke with Robert Griffin III at the 2012 NFL Combine. Head coach Romeo Crennel even publicly commented on how the two had a connection. It all led some to wonder just how much the Chiefs were actually thinking about doing what it took to get the Baylor quarterback. The price, after all, will be steep.
Perhaps it will be too steep. John Clayton says it is going to cost a pretty penny for the team who wants the rights to Griffin. Even teams with two first-round picks are going to have to pay more than that.
I’d handicap it as a two-team bidding war for Griffin. The Rams, who draft second, have to broker a strong deal and should be able to pull it off. The price of the trade would exceed the traditional draft value trade chart that was started by former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson in the 1990s. The No. 2 pick in the first round has a value of 2,600. The No. 4 pick, currently owned by the Cleveland Browns, is 1,800. The Redskins’ No. 6 pick has a value of 1,600.
In order to put a trade together under those terms, the Browns would have to offer a draft value of 800, which equates to the 21st pick in the first round. The Redskins would have to offer 1,000, which would be an additional first-rounder and a third-rounder. For Griffin, it would probably cost the Browns at least the additional first and a significant draft choice in 2013, maybe a third or higher. The Redskins then would have to offer the equivalent of three first-round picks. The Dolphins and Seahawks might as well forget about bidding because the price for RG3 would be too high.
The Chiefs have already said they are bringing in competition for Matt Cassel this offseason, but the rumors swirling make it seem as if they would move on entirely. After all, whether they sign Peyton Manning or make a major trade for Robert Griffin III, that price would certainly place the quarterback in the driver’s seat over Cassel.
That said, the Chiefs are still likely to bring in a veteran like Kyle Orton or Jason Campbell before they grab a high-ticket item off of the shelf. That’s been the tone so far out of Arrowhead despite the rumors, and it’s better to believe what you don’t hear from Scott Pioli than what you do.