Chiefs WalterFootball grades the Chiefs Free Agency LOL - Page 7

**Bufkin** · 03-15-2015, 12:10 AM

Chiefs sign WR Jeremy Maclin (5 years, $55M; $22.5M guaranteed): C- Grade
This move is getting a ton of hype, but it's all unjustified. This is a bad signing - and that goes for both Jeremy Maclin and the Chiefs.

Paying $11 million per year and $22.5 million in guarantees to Maclin is insane, considering his dubious injury history. Maclin finally stayed healthy last year and thrived as a consequence, but he has two bum knees and can't be counted on to have many more healthy seasons. It's also worth noting that Maclin's 2014 stats were inflated because of the number of snaps he played in Chip Kelly's offense. I'm not saying Maclin is a mediocre player, or anything; on the contrary, if he can stay healthy, he's very effective. He's just not the stellar No. 1 receiver that his 1,318 receiving yards say he is, and that's without even factoring in his health.

As for Maclin, you have to wonder what he's possibly thinking. I can't completely bash him because he's reuniting with his former head coach, but he's effectively sabotaging his career by choosing to play with Alex Smith. Maclin should've consulted Greg Jennings, Mike Wallace, James Jones, etc. about how it feels to take more money to play in a worse offense. All three receivers are regretting their decisions.

Chiefs sign G Paul Fanaika (3 years, $8.1 million): D Grade
Quite frankly, this is not a good move whatsoever. The Chiefs traded for Ben Grubbs earlier today - scroll down for that grade - but they wanted to add another guard. That's fine, but they could've done much better than Paul Fanaika. The former Arizona Cardinal was a dreadful blocker this past season in all regards. He doesn't seem like an upgrade, so it's puzzling that the Chiefs would sign him for nearly $3 million per year, especially when there were so many equal or better guards available, per the NFL Free Agent Rankings list.

Chiefs re-sign S Ron Parker (5 years, $30 million): D Grade
Uhh... did the Chiefs mean to re-sign Ron Parker to a 5-year, $3 million deal? Because that would've made more sense. Parker is barely a starter; he would be better served as a backup. He was decent enough in coverage this past season, but was an abomination in run support. In fact, aside from the injuries, Parker was the primary reason why Kansas City struggled to stop the rush in 2014.

Making matters worse, Parker has been a starter just one season in his 4-year career, so it's not like he even has a proven track record prior to his pedestrian 2014 campaign. I just don't get this signing, but I won't give the Chiefs a Millen grade because other teams were inexplicably interested in Parker's services as well.

Chiefs extend G Ben Grubbs (4 years, $24M; $8M guaranteed): B- Grade
I'm not as big a fan of this extension as I was of the initial trade. Giving away a fifth-round pick for a temporary upgrade at one of the guard positions made a lot of sense, but an extension with $8 million guaranteed isn't as good of a move.

This isn't a terrible extension, or anything, as it won't set Kansas City back very much if Grubbs flops. However, there's a chance that he will continue to regress. He's been a strong player throughout his career, but his play dropped off last year. He just turned 31, so that could continue. He should still be a temporary upgrade, but it's conceivable that Kansas City may want to cut him Year 2 into this deal.

ThaVirus · 03-15-2015, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdchiefsfan

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigMeatballDave

There's much truth in what he says..

Outside of stating Maclin was a bad signing and giving the Parker contract a D grade he makes very valid points.

CapsLockKey · 03-15-2015, 10:35 AM

I think this idea that WRs are nothing more than shiny hood ornaments is bunk. There are plenty of examples where a single WR elevated a team significantly. Guys like Andre Johnson, Fitz, Megatron and AJ Green almost single handedly took their respective teams from long standing running jokes to playoff contending teams. Hell, just look at the Browns with and without Josh Gordan. Other than an old Kurt Warner in Arizona, none of those guys played with a great QB.

chiefzilla1501 · 03-15-2015, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

There's much truth in what he says..

Outside of stating Maclin was a bad signing and giving the Parker contract a D grade he makes very valid points.

Outside of those 2, he's ripping on the Grubbs trade (which is absolutely ridiculous in a FA market where Hudson got $9M) and a low $ value signing in Fanaikis.

Okay, well, I guess of the 90% he was wrong about, maybe he was a little right about our dinky pick-up of Fanaikis.

ThaVirus · 03-15-2015, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

Outside of those 2, he's ripping on the Grubbs trade (which is absolutely ridiculous in a FA market where Hudson got $9M) and a low $ value signing in Fanaikis.

Okay, well, I guess of the 90% he was wrong about, maybe he was a little right about our dinky pick-up of Fanaikis.

I don't mean to be rude but did you even read it? He gave the entire Grubbs transaction a B- grade. That's far from "ripping on" it.

He said he just wasn't as big a fan of the extension as he was the initial trade, which I agree with. He also goes on to say that the extension isn't some crippling move, which I also agree with.

I won't lose sleep over it and it appears we can move on fairly easily after year 2 of the deal but it just didn't seem ideal, IMO.

tk13 · 03-15-2015, 11:22 AM

He may end up being right about some of these points, but I'm pretty sure if Dorsey somehow swung Aaron Rodgers for a 5th round pick WalterFootball would find a way to call it a bad move.

I can see calling the WR position a bit overrated, but I wouldn't call them hood ornaments. You don't need Randy Moss or Cris Carter to win titles, but having a decent WR group certainly helps. I think the Chiefs have had good WRs over the years, but probably not many decent WR groups.

**The Franchise** · 03-15-2015, 11:33 AM

He gave the Branch signing an A+ FWIW.

chiefzilla1501 · 03-15-2015, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

I don't mean to be rude but did you even read it? He gave the entire Grubbs transaction a B- grade. That's far from "ripping on" it.

He said he just wasn't as big a fan of the extension as he was the initial trade, which I agree with. He also goes on to say that the extension isn't some crippling move, which I also agree with.

I won't lose sleep over it and it appears we can move on fairly easily after year 2 of the deal but it just didn't seem ideal, IMO.

Yes, I did. The problem is you have to look at this in the big picture. He gave the Chiefs several A's and A-'s in last year's draft yet claims the Chiefs had the worst draft of 2014 (by the way, largely driven by Deanthony Thomas, who he claimed was huge reach).

It's pretty clear that his entire write-up on Grubbs was based on an agenda he has against the team. "Well, it doesn't cripple you guys, you gave up nothing, it upgrades you guys... footnote: it's cheaper than most of the guys you would have gotten in the market... but I'm going to dig on you anyway." I can't stand writers who can't move away from their lobsided agenda.

**J Diddy** · 03-15-2015, 11:53 AM

Walterfootball is brought to you by Jeff Dunham.

Mr. Laz · 03-15-2015, 11:58 AM

1. Walter's has ALWAYS hated the Chiefs

2. Since when did we extend Grubbs?

3. he's not necessarily wrong about much of it

chiefzilla1501 · 03-15-2015, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

1. Walter's has ALWAYS hated the Chiefs

2. Since when did we extend Grubbs?

3. he's not necessarily wrong about much of it

On point #2:
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...n-kansas-city/

Which shows how clueless Walter is about contracts. He's guaranteed $8M at signing. Does not in any way suggest that he'll be an $8M cap hit in 2015. Looks like Walter was equally dumb about the Parker signing, as details of his contract emerge.

**Bowser** · 03-15-2015, 12:19 PM

Eat, it, Walter

http://247sports.com/Bolt/AFC-West-F...rades-36162705

**Easy 6** · 03-15-2015, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bowser

Eat, it, Walter

http://247sports.com/Bolt/AFC-West-F...rades-36162705

Thats more like it.

Mr. Laz · 03-15-2015, 01:03 PM

Walter's takes the pessimistic view
247 takes the flowery outcome

it will probably end up somewhere between the two

we did give a huge contract to a guy with a history of injuries. Doesn't mean it will get hurt again though.

We did a sizable contract/extension to a guard over 30. Doesn't mean he still wont' play well.

we did give a starter contract to a backup, doesn't mean he won't step-up.

Fanaika may have started all those games but that doesn't mean he was a particularly good starter.

Mauga - meh

don't know how it's going to work out yet but it's better than last year's "bucket of shit" offseason.

jd1020 · 03-15-2015, 01:14 PM

The only thing I really love about this off-season is that Maclin is still just 26, which means he doesn't need to peak with Smith. He should be around longer than Smith with a few good years remaining, assuming he remains healthy.

Sweet Daddy Hate · 03-15-2015, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

Walter's takes the pessimistic view
247 takes the flowery outcome

it will probably end up somewhere between the two

we did give a huge contract to a guy with a history of injuries. Doesn't mean it will get hurt again though.

We did a sizable contract/extension to a guard over 30. Doesn't mean he still wont' play well.

we did give a starter contract to a backup, doesn't mean he won't step-up.

Fanaika may have started all those games but that doesn't mean he was a particularly good starter.

Mauga - meh

don't know how it's going to work out yet but it's better than last year's "bucket of shit" offseason.

Hey now, there's still a draft and 11 chances to fill that bucket good and proper. Keep hope alive!

03-15-2015, 12:10 AM
Bufkin Just here for the Royals Join Date: Jul 2014 Casino cash: $10029260	WalterFootball grades the Chiefs Free Agency LOL Chiefs sign WR Jeremy Maclin (5 years, $55M; $22.5M guaranteed): C- Grade This move is getting a ton of hype, but it's all unjustified. This is a bad signing - and that goes for both Jeremy Maclin and the Chiefs. Paying $11 million per year and $22.5 million in guarantees to Maclin is insane, considering his dubious injury history. Maclin finally stayed healthy last year and thrived as a consequence, but he has two bum knees and can't be counted on to have many more healthy seasons. It's also worth noting that Maclin's 2014 stats were inflated because of the number of snaps he played in Chip Kelly's offense. I'm not saying Maclin is a mediocre player, or anything; on the contrary, if he can stay healthy, he's very effective. He's just not the stellar No. 1 receiver that his 1,318 receiving yards say he is, and that's without even factoring in his health. As for Maclin, you have to wonder what he's possibly thinking. I can't completely bash him because he's reuniting with his former head coach, but he's effectively sabotaging his career by choosing to play with Alex Smith. Maclin should've consulted Greg Jennings, Mike Wallace, James Jones, etc. about how it feels to take more money to play in a worse offense. All three receivers are regretting their decisions. Chiefs sign G Paul Fanaika (3 years, $8.1 million): D Grade Quite frankly, this is not a good move whatsoever. The Chiefs traded for Ben Grubbs earlier today - scroll down for that grade - but they wanted to add another guard. That's fine, but they could've done much better than Paul Fanaika. The former Arizona Cardinal was a dreadful blocker this past season in all regards. He doesn't seem like an upgrade, so it's puzzling that the Chiefs would sign him for nearly $3 million per year, especially when there were so many equal or better guards available, per the NFL Free Agent Rankings list. Chiefs re-sign S Ron Parker (5 years, $30 million): D Grade Uhh... did the Chiefs mean to re-sign Ron Parker to a 5-year, $3 million deal? Because that would've made more sense. Parker is barely a starter; he would be better served as a backup. He was decent enough in coverage this past season, but was an abomination in run support. In fact, aside from the injuries, Parker was the primary reason why Kansas City struggled to stop the rush in 2014. Making matters worse, Parker has been a starter just one season in his 4-year career, so it's not like he even has a proven track record prior to his pedestrian 2014 campaign. I just don't get this signing, but I won't give the Chiefs a Millen grade because other teams were inexplicably interested in Parker's services as well. Chiefs extend G Ben Grubbs (4 years, $24M; $8M guaranteed): B- Grade I'm not as big a fan of this extension as I was of the initial trade. Giving away a fifth-round pick for a temporary upgrade at one of the guard positions made a lot of sense, but an extension with $8 million guaranteed isn't as good of a move. This isn't a terrible extension, or anything, as it won't set Kansas City back very much if Grubbs flops. However, there's a chance that he will continue to regress. He's been a strong player throughout his career, but his play dropped off last year. He just turned 31, so that could continue. He should still be a temporary upgrade, but it's conceivable that Kansas City may want to cut him Year 2 into this deal.
Posts: 4,052

03-15-2015, 10:35 AM	#92
CapsLockKey Starter Join Date: Feb 2009 Casino cash: $1601445	I think this idea that WRs are nothing more than shiny hood ornaments is bunk. There are plenty of examples where a single WR elevated a team significantly. Guys like Andre Johnson, Fitz, Megatron and AJ Green almost single handedly took their respective teams from long standing running jokes to playoff contending teams. Hell, just look at the Browns with and without Josh Gordan. Other than an old Kurt Warner in Arizona, none of those guys played with a great QB.
Posts: 890

03-15-2015, 11:22 AM	#95
tk13 ... Join Date: Nov 2001 Casino cash: $1632500	He may end up being right about some of these points, but I'm pretty sure if Dorsey somehow swung Aaron Rodgers for a 5th round pick WalterFootball would find a way to call it a bad move. I can see calling the WR position a bit overrated, but I wouldn't call them hood ornaments. You don't need Randy Moss or Cris Carter to win titles, but having a decent WR group certainly helps. I think the Chiefs have had good WRs over the years, but probably not many decent WR groups.
Posts: 55,016

03-15-2015, 11:33 AM	#96
The Franchise Most Valuable Villain Join Date: Dec 2006 Casino cash: $2735047	He gave the Branch signing an A+ FWIW.
Posts: 92,303

03-15-2015, 11:53 AM	#98
J Diddy Don't Be A Dick Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Joplin Casino cash: $6697192	Walterfootball is brought to you by Jeff Dunham.
Posts: 33,656

03-15-2015, 11:58 AM	#99
Mr. Laz Don't Tease Me Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: KS Casino cash: $11047037	1. Walter's has ALWAYS hated the Chiefs 2. Since when did we extend Grubbs? 3. he's not necessarily wrong about much of it __________________
Posts: 95,626

03-15-2015, 12:19 PM	#101
Bowser sorta mod-ish Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: KC North Casino cash: $3111616	Eat, it, Walter http://247sports.com/Bolt/AFC-West-F...rades-36162705
Posts: 101,180

03-15-2015, 01:03 PM	#103
Mr. Laz Don't Tease Me Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: KS Casino cash: $11047037	Walter's takes the pessimistic view 247 takes the flowery outcome it will probably end up somewhere between the two we did give a huge contract to a guy with a history of injuries. Doesn't mean it will get hurt again though. We did a sizable contract/extension to a guard over 30. Doesn't mean he still wont' play well. we did give a starter contract to a backup, doesn't mean he won't step-up. Fanaika may have started all those games but that doesn't mean he was a particularly good starter. Mauga - meh don't know how it's going to work out yet but it's better than last year's "bucket of shit" offseason. __________________
Posts: 95,626

03-15-2015, 01:14 PM	#104
jd1020 In Search of a Life Join Date: Nov 2010 Casino cash: $7692645	The only thing I really love about this off-season is that Maclin is still just 26, which means he doesn't need to peak with Smith. He should be around longer than Smith with a few good years remaining, assuming he remains healthy.
Posts: 24,339