Chiefs Free Agency 2012: Peyton Hillis Headed To Kansas City

Chiefs Sign Former Texans Lineman Eric Winston

The Kansas City Chiefs have signed tackle Eric Winston, Jason LaCanfora reports. Winston has spent his entire five-year NFL career with the Houston Texans.

With Jamaal Charles' status for next season unclear following a torn ACL, the output from newly signed Peyton Hillis and others, paired with a strong offensive line, will be very important for this team in 2012.

Entering the free agency period, Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli publicly stated the importance of improving his team's offensive line, telling 610 Sports Radio that the Chiefs had to improve the offensive line, "some how, some way."

A versatile offenesive lineman, Winston's ability to play both left and right tackle made him an intriguiing player to the Chiefs and a number of other teams.

Terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed.

For more free agency updates, head to SB Nation's Chiefs blog Arrowhead Pride and SB Nation Kansas City.

Kevin Boss, Kansas City Chiefs Agree To 3-Year, $9 Million Deal

The Kansas City Chiefs have been looking to add another tight end to their offense during the 2012 NFL free agency period. The Chiefs have found that new tight end in Kevin Boss, who has agreed to a three-year, $9 million contract with the Chiefs, according to a report by Aaron Wilson of Scout.com.

The Kansas City Chiefs have signed TE Kevin Boss to a three-year, $9 million deal, according to a league source

— Aaron Wilson (@RavensInsider) March 16, 2012

Boss was recently released by the Oakland Raiders as the team was trying to get under the salary cap. Prior to signing with the Raiders during the 2011 offseason, Boss was with the New York Giants, where he was fifth-round draft pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. In his career, Boss has 147 receptions with 1,968 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns.

For more free agency updates, head to SB Nation's Chiefs blog Arrowhead Pride and SB Nation Kansas City.

Peyton Hillis, Kansas City Chiefs Agree To Contract

It was all but certain that Peyton Hillis would not be back with the Cleveland Browns as the NFL free agency period began, and now we know where he's heading. The Kansas City Chiefs announced they had reached an agreement with Hillis on Wednesday, one day after free agency began.

Hillis is coming to Kansas City on a short, low-money deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Turns out that former Browns RB Peyton Hillis signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Chiefs.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 14, 2012

Kansas City played a game of musical running backs last season after Jamaal Charles tore his ACL early in the year. Without their expected feature back, the Chiefs employed a variety of bodies in the backfield, and likely will again this year -- it was trending that way even before Charles went down for the year. Hillis adds a dimension of power running, but also comes with uncertain health following an injury-plagued 2011 campaign.

Brandon Carr Cashes In With Dallas Cowboys

On Tuesday the Dallas Cowboys cut CB Terence Newman and on Wednesday they signed his replacement. According to ESPN, the Cowboys signed CB Brandon Carr to a five-year, $50.1 million contract. Carr was a free agent after spending four seasons with the Chiefs. He was among the top cornerbacks on the market.

Cortland Finnegan received $50 million over five years from the Titans so Carr is the highest paid cornerback in the 2012 free agency period.

Carr was drafted by the Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL draft. He started as a rookie and hasn't missed a start since. He's only 25 years old so he'll be hitting free agency again as he hits 30 years old.

The Cowboys pass defense was 23rd in the NFL last year. Replacing Newman with Carr is a solid upgrade.

For more on the Dallas Cowboys, visit SB Nation's Cowboys blog Blogging The Boys and SB Nation Dallas.

Chiefs Free Agency 2012: Brandon Carr, Kyle Orton Hit The Market

The Kansas City Chiefs finished the 2011 season with a disappointing 7-9 record and fell short of the playoffs in 2011. Quarterback Matt Cassel and receiver Dwayne Bowe couldn't seem to get on the same page before Cassel was injured and the running game struggled as well without Jamaal Charles. The Chiefs just had a massive strand of bad luck last year, which will probably change.

The Chiefs could stand to keep a few of their own players including running back Jackie Battle, Brandon Carr and quarterback Kyle Orton. The team will be getting Charles back, so having Battle in the backfield could keep Charles fresh. Orton likely wants to start which probably won't happen in Kansas City and with the signing of Stanfort Routt, Carr, considered one of the best corners to hit free agency, is as good as gone.

The Chiefs have a ton of money to spend and since it looks as if Peyton Manning isn't going to be heading to Kansas City they can spread that money around to fix both the offensive and defensive lines. Guys like Carl Nicks or Ben Grubbs could shore up the team's interior offensive line and guys like Red Bryant could help on the defensive line. With Charles and Eric Berry coming back from injuries, the team should be in much better shape in 2012 and could even make a run for the AFC West title.

For more free agency updates, head to SB Nation's Chiefs blog Arrowhead Pride.

Franchise Tag For Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs Confirm

The Kansas City Chiefs did what many expected them to do and placed the franchise tag on wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. This move had been expected for some time so it shouldn't be a surprise. The franchise tag number for receivers is about $9.4 million.

"Today was the league's deadline to designate a franchise player and we felt it was in the best interest of the Kansas City Chiefs to place the tag on Dwayne," said General Manager Scott Pioli.

Tagging Bowe likely means Brandon Carr is on his way out. The young cornerback is scheduled for free agency and after the Chiefs signed Stanford Routt last month, many assumed Carr was likely to leave.

Bowe is clearly a worthy candidate for the franchise tag. He's the Chiefs best receiver and led the league in touchdown receptions in 2010. He has accumulated over 995 yards receiving in four of his first five years in the league. The Chiefs will try to work on a long-term deal with him and they'll have until July 15 to do so before Bowe enters the regular season under the tag.

For all news and information regarding the Kansas City Chiefs, please visit Arrowhead Pride.

NFL Free Agency: Brandon Carr Drawing Interest From Cowboys, According To Report

The early news out of the Kansas City Chiefs camp regarding their impending free agents was that the team would be choosing whether to put the franchise tag on cornerback Brandon Carr or wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. Following the Chiefs' signing of cornerback Stanford Routt, it now seems like a given that Bowe will be tagged by the team, allowing Carr to hit the open market.

Our own Joel Thorman at Arrowhead Pride passes along the news that the Dallas Cowboys are interested in pursuing the cornerback once free agency begins on March 13. Via Pro Football Weekly:

Sources have said the Cowboys would love for Chiefs CB Brandon Carr to hit the open market, so they can make a run at him. The expectation is that the Chiefs could franchise Carr and are said to be in fine cap shape, but they also have WR Dwayne Bowe to worry about. If Carr somehow makes it to March 13 unsigned, expect the Cowboys to go all in for him and worry about a high-profile guard (Carl Nicks or someone else) thereafter.

As Thorman notes, any Dallas interest is going to drive up the price for Carr. It appears as though the cornerback could be in for a lucrative free agency.

For all news and information regarding the Kansas City Chiefs, please visit Arrowhead Pride. For updates and perspective on the Dallas Cowboys, head on over to Blogging the Boys.

Dwayne Bowe Likely To Get Franchise Tag, According To Report

If there were any questions about who the Kansas City Chiefs planned to slap with the Franchise Tag during this NFL offseason, they were seemingly answered with the signing of cornerback Stanford Routt. That would seem to clear the way for wide receiver Dwayne Bowe to be given that designation, as cornerback Brandon Carr was the other player seemingly in the running to receive it (via Kansas City Star).

With cornerback essentially set, Bowe is the most obvious candidate to be Franchised. The 27 year-old is coming off a pair of seasons in which he eclipsed the 1,100-yard barrier and he has now gone over 1,000 yards in three out of four seasons. In the last two years he has really come into his own, making 153 receptions and scoring 20 touchdowns.

There are some causes for concern, though. Bowe's 2011 was marked be inconsistency as he failed to break the 100-yard mark in any game after Week 5 and scored just one touchdown during that stretch. He also failed to eclipse the 75-yard mark in six of his final 11 games.

For more on Bowe, be sure to check out Chiefs blog Arrowhead Pride.

Brandon Carr Likely To Hit Free Agency After Chiefs Sign Stanford Routt

The Kansas City Chiefs signed cornerback Stanford Routt on Monday, inking the 28-year-old free agent to a three-year deal worth $20 million that guarantees him about $6 million in 2012 (via Kansas City Star). The signing likely means the Chiefs will allow cornerback Brandon Carr to become a free agent.

Routt is coming off one of his most productive seasons, grabbing a career-high four interceptions, defensing 15 passes and making 49 tackles. Since moving into the starting role in 2010, he's been among the Raiders best secondary players.

Prior to the signing of Routt, it was believed that the Chiefs were trying to decide between putting the Franchise Tag on Carr or wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. With Routt presumably moving into Carr's starting cornerback slot opposite Brandon Flowers, it would seem to indicate the Chiefs have decided to place the Franchise Tag on Bowe. Carr, 25, had nearly identical numbers to Routt in 2011 while Bowe logged his second consecutive 1,100-yard season.

For more reaction to the signing, be sure to check out Chiefs blog Arrowhead Pride.

Stanford Routt Signs Three-Year Deal With Kansas City Chiefs

Two weeks ago the Oakland Raiders released CB Stanford Routt and on Monday a division rival signed him. According to multiple reports, Routt signed a three-year, $19.6 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. He also visited the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals.

Routt was originally a second-round pick in the 2005 NFL draft. He's 28 years old and has spent his entire career in Oakland. Routt played a lot of man-to-man in Oakland so, presumably, he fills a similar role in Kansas City.

This signing now brings up another question for the Chiefs -- what happens to Brandon Carr? The Chiefs cornerback is scheduled to hit free agency and after this move it seems more likely he hits the open market. He'll be one of the top handful of cornerbacks on the market if the Chiefs do let him get away.

The Chiefs are among the league leaders in salary cap space so, financially, it's not out of the question for them to try and hang onto Carr.

For more on the Routt signing, visit SB Nation's Chiefs blog, Arrowhead Pride.

Chiefs Free Agency 2012: Kyle Orton, Tyler Palko Among Impending Free Agents

The Kansas City Chiefs came up short of reaching the postseason in 2011, but saw some occasional glimpses of brilliance that should give them hope for next season. One of the issues that they will need to address in 2012 is their quarterback situation. Tyler Palko will be a free agent with whom the team has exclusive rights, but Kyle Orton is set to become a restricted free agent.

Before free agency begins on March 13, the Chiefs will have to look at the statuses of no fewer than 22 of their players who are due to enter some form of free agency. Here's the full list of impending Chiefs free agents, courtesy of Mac's Football Blog.

Exclusive Rights Free Agents (2)

S Reshard Langford
QB Tyler Palko

Restricted Free Agents (2)

TE Jake O'Connell
LB Jovan Belcher

Unrestricted Free Agents (18)

QB Kyle Orton
RB Jackie Battle
RB Thomas Jones
FB Le'Ron McClain
WR Dwayne Bowe
WR Jerheme Urban
TE Anthony Becht
TE Leonard Pope
OT Ryan O'Callaghan
OT Barry Richardson
OC Casey Wiegmann
DE Wallace Gilberry
DT Amon Gordon
DT Kelly Gregg
CB Brandon Carr
CB Travis Daniels
S Jon McGraw
S Sabby Piscitelli

For all news and information regarding the Kansas City Chiefs, please visit Arrowhead Pride.