The one-game suspension handed down to Dwayne Bowe on Friday morning could end up being a silver lining for the Kansas City Chiefs according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and ultimately the Cleveland Browns as they look for a replacement to Josh Gordon.
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Florio writes that the Chiefs can void guaranteed money in Bowe’s contract for this year and next and create a large amount of room in the salary cap.
"“The suspension most likely voids the remaining fully guaranteed money in Bowe’s contract: $8.75 million in 2014 and $1.5 million in 2015. It creates a window for the Chiefs to dump Bowe, avoiding more than $10 million and creating an immediate $8.75 million in 2014 cap space.”"
So how do the Browns come into play in all this?
Florio continues to write that the Chiefs could elect to cut Bowe after after his suspension, but before the his salary becomes guaranteed as “termination pay,” and at that point the Browns would be the clear front-runner to sign him based on his relationship with the front office in Cleveland.
Browns G.M. Ray Farmer was on the Chiefs staff when they drafted Bowe out of LSU and worked for the Chiefs and Farmer’s advisor, Bill Kuharich, was the V.P. of player personnel at that same time.
With Josh Gordon potentially out for the season serving a suspension for marijuana, the Browns would have a huge need for a No. 1 receiver.
Then again, would they want to bring in another player with a history of marijuana offenses on his resume?
The reward may outweigh the risk at that point, but before that happens, the Chiefs would need to give up on their No. 1 receiver without a player in Kansas City to replace his production.