It's the offseason which means fans are starting to look at players that may or may not be available at some point this summer (which is all up in the air with the current labor situation in the NFL) and that includes Kansas City Chiefs LB Tamba Hali.
He's in the final year of his deal but the Chiefs are expected to franchise him before February 24 or work out a long-term deal. However it shakes out, the Chiefs want to keep him and we expect that to happen.
My colleague, Matt Conner, recently wrote about some Patriots fans wishing they had someone like Hali. It's the offseason and that's what fans do.
The truth is that every team would want a player like Hali if he were truly on the market. In year one of the Todd Haley/Scott Pioli regime, Hali made the transition from defensive end to linebacker. i was among his biggest skeptics. He's not fast enough, not strong enough and not athletic enough, I said.
I'm glad that I was completely wrong on all of those. Hali showed his versatility, and his penchant for hard work, by transitioning himself into one of the top pass rushers in the NFL. And, as we know, every team in the league can never have enough pass rushers. It's why it's up there with left tackle as the second most important position in the league behind quarterback.
While every team would want Hali if he were on the market, that's precisely why the Chiefs will keep him. Players like him don't come around very often so when you have one, you latch onto him, and don't let him go anywhere.
So expect the franchise tag or a long-term deal for Hali in the next couple of weeks. He's not going anywhere.