There are several teams with holes to fill and money to burn in the upcoming free agency period of the NFL offseason and few players are going to cash in like the Chiefs Brandon Carr. The team already committed a big extension to Brandon Flowers last September and then signed Stanford Routt only weeks ago after his release by the Raiders. That set Carr free to likely explore the open market and find his own big money deal — something the Chiefs aren’t likely to match.
Joel Corry profiled Carr over at the National Football Post and believes that he’ll have three main suitors this offseason in the Cowboys, Vikings and Bucs. All three teams have significant needs in the secondary. The Cowboys are older and void of dynamic talent there. The Vikings and Bucs are even worse off, with the latter being as deficient as any. Fortunately they also have the most money available.
Corry writes, “In the pass-happy NFL, teams can never have too many good cornerbacks. Carr has good size (6-0, 207 lbs) and is just entering his prime at 25-years-old. When the Kansas City Chiefs gave Brandon Flowers a five-year extension averaging $9.75 million per year, Carr’s days with the Chiefs were numbered. They hedged their bets by signing Stanford Routt ($18 million for three years, $5 million guaranteed) when the Oakland Raiders released him. Carr should attract plenty of attention in free agency, possibly from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings. A Flowers type deal could be his benchmark.”
It’s that last line that will keep him from re-signing with the Chiefs. The team simply cannot pay big money to two starting corners and expect to have the right amount to invest elsewhere. Losing Carr is a big hit, but the Chiefs had the foresight to grab Routt when he came available. It was a nice contingency plan, especially when Chiefs fans see the money Carr is likely to get.
For more on the Chiefs offseason and free agency, check out Arrowhead Pride.