No Trade For Tony Gonzalez

The trade deadline came and went, and TE Tony Gonzalez remained in Kansas City.

Kansas City GM Carl Peterson was in a bad spot. Gonzalez is now livid according to Bob McGinn, but Peterson is trying to save his job and trading away his best offensive player, and a future Hall of Famer, for only a 3rd round pick is a little light. If he could have gotten a 1st round pick, it might have improved his chances. Kansas City is bad, but things can turn around fast in the NFL and Gonzalez could be a part of it later this season or next. A quick turnaround is Peterson's only chance at staying in Kansas City, so keeping a quality TE over a future backup 3rd round pick is probably what he had to do. Still it would have been better for the franchise to have moved on.

I don't know if Gonzalez would have helped the Packers. Bob McGinn seemed upset that the Packers weren't willing to make the move for only a 2nd round pick, something they could recoup after QB Brett Favre starts all 16 games in New York and helps them to the playoffs. The results in the poll last week were overwhelming in favor of trading for Gonzalez, but most of the comments were anti-Gonzalez. If the Packers use him like TE Donald Lee, to stay in and protect the QB first and then run out a few yards as the checkdown receiver, the trade doesn't make much sense. But if he could open up the playbook, either as a deep middle threat or exploit the holes in between defenders in the zone, cover-2 scheme, then he could really help. Since it isn't clear that he would help, the right thing to do was pass on the deal.

It was amazing he didn't want to go to Buffalo. Maybe he was hoping the NY Giants would come through, he would have been a huge upgrade of TE Kevin Boss. But he could have completely changed Buffalo's offense for the better, and right now they look headed for the playoffs. Buffalo's current starting TE Robert Royal might be the worst starting TE in the NFL.