KC's Allen Traded to Minny

[HoosierCat]

per the local rag...

http://ww3.startribune.com/vikingsblog/?p=1516

Says a deal (presumably involving the Vikes' 1st round pick) could (emphasis on could) get done quickly.

If it happens I have to think that makes it likely that the Chiefs go o-line at 5 and then pick Merling at 17. (Or, if Chris Long slips, no way he gets past 5 now.)

[HairOnFire]

If it happens I have to think that makes it likely that the Chiefs go o-line at 5 and then pick Merling at 17. (Or, if Chris Long slips, no way he gets past 5 now.)

Schefter broke it down yesterday and claimed the Chiefs primary motivation is to flip their draft situation at #5. Currently they're almost locked into overdrafting an OL. Plus, because they realize they're a very bad team unlikely to get better anytime soon they neither want to give Allen a staggering long-term contract or pay him the salary dictated by the franchise tag. However, if they can trade Allen they no longer have to overdraft a player at #5 as they believe either Chris Long or Vernon Gholsten will be available. Then at #17 they can select from whichever OL is still available. And since they need everything they're free to take anyone. LT, RT, OG or even CB.

Schefter also pointed out how the addition of the latter 1st round pick would instantly give the Chiefs the freedom to trade out of the 5th slot....thereby turning one of the least desirable draft situations for any team drafting in the Top 5 into the most attractive target for other teams looking to trade up.

Last, Schefter pointed to the Vikings failure to secure either Justin Smith or Lamar Odom and wondered if their desperation might dictate they surrender more than a 1st round pick for Allen.

[HoosierCat]

Interesting follow-up from Florio. If indeed it plays out this way, KC gets shafted...and they would almost have to either reach for the best available DE at 5 or (more likely) trade down...

ABSENT TRADE, VIKES “LIKELY” TO SIGN ALLEN AFTER DRAFT

Posted by Mike Florio on April 20, 2008, 8:47 a.m.

We received a text message and a phone call late Saturday/early Sunday from a league source who shared with us a curious development regarding the Minnesota Vikings’ ongoing efforts to acquire Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Jared Allen.

Per the source, the Vikings are “likely” to sign Allen to an offer sheet after next weekend’s draft, if a “fair” trade can’t be worked out before then.

The move meshes with the idea that came us to like an acorn to a blind squirrel on Saturday. With the Chiefs reportedly wanting a first-round pick and a second-round pick for Allen, why not simply nab Allen with a poison-pilled offer sheet and foist on the Chiefs the Vikings’ first-round picks in 2009 and 2010?

The fact that the Vikes apparenty plan to pursue this tactic is a strong indication that Allen’s visit to the Twin Cities has resulted in an agreement between the player and the Purple regarding the money that will be paid to the NFL’s sack leader in 2008.

But there’s a wild card in this scenario. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are reportedly interested in Allen, and could be squeezed into besting the Vikings’ pre-draft trade offer if the Bucs know that Allen would otherwise be poised to sign a post-draft offer sheet in Minnesota.

Then again, if Allen has made up his mind that he wants to play in the land of 10,000 lakes (but hopefully not 0.10 percent BAC), the Bucs will be out of the picture, and the question will be whether the Vikings get him before the draft, or after it.

A couple of readers have asked us whether the Vikings could sign Allen to an offer sheet right now, since it’s less than seven days before the first day of the draft. But even though a team with a franchise player has up to seven days to decide whether to match an offer sheet that he signs, the team can also decide before the seven days expire to not match it. In this case, doing so would give the Chiefs the Vikings’ first-round picks in 2008 and 2009.

And since the Chiefs would surely prefer to get extra draft picks for Allen right now (especially since G.M. Carl Peterson might not be around to use picks in 2009 and/or 2010), it’ll be critical for the Vikings to dust off the poison pill, if they want to be sure to acquire Allen. Otherwise, the Vikes will have merely negotiated on the Chiefs’ behalf Allen’s long-term contract to stay in Kansas City.

[Kazkal]

Well wouldn't say shafted because 1st in 2009 and 2010 would be good for team whos in the rebuilding stages.

[HoosierCat]

Well wouldn't say shafted because 1st in 2009 and 2010 would be good for team whos in the rebuilding stages.

True, but they'd be screwed this year.

[Kazkal]

Also true sucks for herm though I do think he's a alright coach just having some bad luck in the teams hes with.

(4th string QB playing in his last year with jets then going to the chiefs who were a team running out of gas)

[BengalszoneBilly]

Also true sucks for herm though I do think he's a alright coach just having some bad luck in the teams hes with.

Sounds strangely like comments I've heard about Marvin.

[kingwilly]

...failure to secure either Justin Smith or Lamar Odom...

...I think you have a dose of Laker brain...going by your posting time and the proximity of today's NBA game.

[HairOnFire]

...failure to secure either Justin Smith or Lamar Odom...

...I think you have a dose of Laker brain...going by your posting time and the proximity of today's NBA game.

How right you are. I've actually caught myself typing Lamar rather than Antwan more than a half dozen times already, and I knew it was just a matter of time before one slipped through.

Hopefully things will change after seeing Odom in a Bengal uniform. Or failing that maybe I'll resort to tagging Antwan with a nickname.

[HoosierCat]

Minny has Allen in the fold. Per Schefter at nfl.com. Vikes give up their 1st and 2 3rds.

[kingwilly]

Suddenly Minny's D, led by Leslie "Marvin didn't love me" Frazier, looks pretty tough.

[HoosierCat]

From the "Holy Freakin' Sh*t" File:

Allen is now the highest paid defensive player in the NFL, per Glazer over at fox.

6 years, $74 million, $31 million guaranteed.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8061676...al-for-DE-Allen

[Kazkal]

...

[Kazkal]

This is not good for the bengals makes it so chiefs can select Ellis then either take top Oline at 17 or trade up and get clady

[HoosierCat]

This is not good for the bengals makes it so chiefs can select Ellis then either take top Oline at 17 or trade up and get clady

Hell, with 6 picks between Nos. 5 and 66, the Chiefs are free to take anyone they want. Really, I think it would make more sense now for them to take an offensive lineman at 5, since there should still be good defensive line options available at any of their next five picks, but the cream of the o-line could get snapped up before 17. Alternatively, they could grab Matt Ryan if he gets past Atlanta. Or they just the the BPA who slips -- Long, Gholston, McFadden.

[DesperateDerelict]

This is not good for the bengals makes it so chiefs can select Ellis then either take top Oline at 17 or trade up and get clady

Hell, with 6 picks between Nos. 5 and 66, the Chiefs are free to take anyone they want. Really, I think it would make more sense now for them to take an offensive lineman at 5, since there should still be good defensive line options available at any of their next five picks, but the cream of the o-line could get snapped up before 17. Alternatively, they could grab Matt Ryan if he gets past Atlanta. Or they just the the BPA who slips -- Long, Gholston, McFadden.

KC, and Herm Edwards (one of the 3 worst x and o coaches in the league) are married to the 4 - 3.

If Chris Long or Glenn Dorsey are there, they'll go to KC. If not - it's between Ellis and the best OL - you gotta figure it'll be Ellis.

Looks like we are deciding between Rivers, Mendenhall, Albert, Harvey, and trading down. Those are actually listed in the OPPOSITE order I would prioritize in.

[HairOnFire]

Hell, with 6 picks between Nos. 5 and 66, the Chiefs are free to take anyone they want. Really, I think it would make more sense now for them to take an offensive lineman at 5, since there should still be good defensive line options available at any of their next five picks, but the cream of the o-line could get snapped up before 17. Alternatively, they could grab Matt Ryan if he gets past Atlanta. Or they just the the BPA who slips -- Long, Gholston, McFadden.

I'm betting it will be the BPA with the likely exception of McFadden. The Chiefs are no longer locked into taking an offensive lineman who would offer questionable or poor value at #5, and can now pick the best remaining defensive lineman. At #17 they can let the draft come to them yet again by addressing OL, DL, or add the young CB they need.

Frankly, it's a very smart trade that makes perfect sense only for a team that knows and accepts how bad it is, and how likely it is that they'll remain bad for several more years.

[Wraith]

Smart in the same way that the Bengals would be smart to cut lose Chad if they received an offer like that.

[sparky151]

KC is firmly in rebuilding mode. I wouldn't be surprised if they trade down from 5 unless they have a particular fondness for Ryan, Long, or Gholston. If they still see their biggest needs as OL, CB, QB, and DE, then Ellis probably doesn't go to the Chiefs.

[Kazkal]

From what I read on KC boards the players the fans want most are Albert,clady and Ryan.

Very little interest in ellis it seems by the fans.

[HoosierCat]

In other trade news, Dallas send a 4th to Tennessee for Pacman...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3364138

[HairOnFire]

(KFFL) John Murphy, of Yahoo! Sports, reports the Kansas City Chiefs are seriously considering acquiring a second first-round draft pick within the top-10 to 15 choices by bundling some of 13 total draft choices they currently possess. The Chiefs are looking at teams such as the Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills in the hopes that the draft plays out in such a manner that those teams would be interested in trading back to the 17th overall pick in the first round, the pick the Chiefs received from the Minnesota Vikings for DL Jared Allen. If the Chiefs can complete a pre-draft deal for a second first-round pick, they would likely look to add a pass rusher or possibly a quarterback.

[HoosierCat]

Interesting idea. The Chiefs' 3rds at 72 and 82 are about the right value, per the (old) trade chart. And combined with the Bengals own third would be enough to move back as far as the last few picks in the first.

[DesperateDerelict]

Pick #17 is a GREAT VALUE position - if both Dorsey & Ellis are gone, the Bengals could target Mendenhall, Thomas, Harvey, Merling, or the best OL available (Albert, Williams, Otah, etc). The extra 3rd rounders could yield a very good WR (Caldwell?), RB (Johnson, Forte), DT (Bryant, Rubin, Pressley), or LB (Avril, Howard, Keglar, Henderson)

[HairOnFire]

I'm not going to start a new thread for this one, but an Oakland/San Francisco sportswriter was on ESPNRadio yesterday. He said he had interviewed Raider owner Al Davis twice in the last few weeks, and for the first time he could ever recall Davis was very interested in trading down in the 1st round. Davis admitted there were several good players they would select from if no trading partner could be found, but only two players boasted the eye-popping physical skills Davis covets in Top 5 prospects. However, the Raiders aren't completely satisfied with either of those players, McFadden and Gholsten. In short, the Raiders are reluctant to build an offense around McFadden due to character concerns, and they feel Gholsten is overrated and too inconsistent. "They like them both, but they don't love either of them, and when you're drafting that high you have to fall in love."

The writer went on to claim the Raiders were very interested in Chris Long and were under intense external and internal pressure to make him the pick if he's available. However, Davis is said to have mentioned his poor time in the 40 yard dash several times during the interview.