The Kansas City Chiefs released Donnie Avery to save more than $3 million
It’s no secret that the Kansas City Chiefs need all the money they can get.
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Justin Houston, the best pass rusher in the NFL this past season, is set to hit the open market and if the Chiefs aren’t careful they could very well lose him to another franchise. Not only do the Chiefs need money to re-sign Houston, but they also need to spread out money to their incoming rookies.
That being said, the Chiefs released veteran receiver Donnie Avery on Tuesday.
Even though Avery has dazzled at times in his Chiefs tenure, the reality is that the Chiefs did not get one touchdown from their receiving corps last year and considering how much the Chiefs would save him cutting him, it was really only a matter of time until they cut him.
According to the Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the Chiefs will not release him, but they will save roughly $3.4 million and they are expected to closely watch the receivers at the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine this weekend in Indianapolis.
The event is in the same stadium where the Chiefs blew a 38-10 lead to the Indianapolis Colts in the 2013 NFL Playoffs. Rapoport tweeted out the news around 12 PM ET.
Source: #Chiefs are cutting veteran WR Donnie Avery, which saves them $3.4M against the cap. Expected to target that position this week.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 17, 2015
After the 2012-2013 season, the Chiefs brought Avery over from the Colts in hopes that he would be a solid No. 2 option across from Dwayne Bowe. After a bundle of problems in his first season, Avery really suffered the most in his second season when he had a sports hernia injury.
By releasing Avery, the Chiefs will now be in range to bring back Houston. However, the sack-master could be looking for a huge contract. Despite that, bringing back Houston to pair with Dontari Poe and Tamba Hali in this front seven is something that needs to be done by the Chiefs.
With Avery being cut, expect the Chiefs to go after the wide receiver position early in the 2015 NFL Draft. Some options that come to mind are DeVante Parker, Jaelen Strong, and perhaps even Dorial Green-Beckham.
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