Contractually speaking, the biggest question mark facing the Kansas City Chiefs this upcoming 2012 season is what the team will do with Dwayne Bowe over the long-term. And while Bowe had much to say at the recent Nike reveal earlier this week where he showcased the brand new Chiefs uniforms, Bowe would not address the question asked most.
From the official press release, “Though Bowe refrained from going into detail about his current contract situation, citing "business is business," he indicated that he wasn’t upset about receiving the franchise tag. Bowe plans to let his agent and the Chiefs handle any public statements regarding the state of negotiations.”
Bowe has been the best wide receiver on the Chiefs roster by a country mile for the last half-decade, so on the one hand, it’s difficult to see why the team would let him walk. Then again, the Chiefs might have a bit of leverage with the addition of Jon Baldwin from last year’s draft, but certainly he will have to take a major step forward from his rookie season. If they don’t have a long-term plan to pay a wide receiver top dollar, then that might be the move they needed to make the shift when Bowe does leave.
However, it’s impossible to ignore the tremendous asset he’s been on the field no matter who the quarterback in KC is. While the Chiefs offense was near the league’s worst last year, Bowe was again a strong performer. It’s guys like that who generally deserve to get paid.
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