Kansas City Chiefs Trade Gonzalez to Falcons

Ok, so let me get this straight. The Chiefs just spent about $15 million on a supposed franchise quarterback, and they felt the best way to secure his immediate future with the team was by dealing away their only reliable receiving threat? Say what?!

The story broke today that the Chiefs are dealing yet another high-profile tight-end to the NFC South, by finalizing a trade with the Atlanta Hawks. Let’s bypass the absurdness of Kellen Winslow Jr., Jeremy Shockey and now Tony Gonzalez all clustered in the same division (I mean honestly, is Chris Cooley going to get acquired by the Panthers now?).

The Dirty Birds are going to give up a 2010 draft pick to get the sure-handed, and seemingly ageless, ToGo. That’s right, Kansas gets absolutely nothing in 2009 for giving away their best receiver for the last decade. Butkus. Nada. Nothing! Meanwhile, the Falcons can now focus on their defense with their offense in good hands. Rookie of the Year, Matt Ryan, will thrive in his sophomore year with Roddy White, Michael Jenkins, Tony Gonzalez and Michael Turner. So good for the Falcons.

Now how about the Chiefs? They made the biggest splash thus far by acquiring Matt Cassel to take the snaps in Kansas. Then they watched the Denver Broncos implode as Josh McDaniels and Jay Cutler feuded, resulting in Cutler’s trade to Chicago. The Oakland Raiders acquired Jeff Garcia (yaaay!) and the San Diego Chargers remain a threat, but late last season they seemed on the verge of collapsing. Does LDT have anything left? Can the Chargers really win with Philip Rivers?

Why on Earth would the Chiefs deal their best receiver when the AFC West was suddenly wide-open? I understand the need to get a draft pick in the future as opposed to getting nothing for Tony G, but the Chiefs could have been competitive on offense now. Gonzalez was responsible for 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns with a tattered array of quarterbacks tossing him the ball.

It’s this kind of stuff that baffles me. On the verge of making a push in the brutal AFC West, the Chiefs trade away their best player making the Falcons the team to beat in the NFC South and kicking their NFL betting fans in the junk all at the same time. No wonder this team has sucked for so long.

Tony G isn’t the only thing leaving KC. The chances of the Chiefs making any noise in the betting world, or in the NFL Playoffs just left with him.