Chiefs’ GM keeps busy
Peterson visits with Green, free agent Harris and agent Condon.
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Green
Carl Peterson’s day opened with an interview with an unrestricted free-agent visitor, linebacker Napoleon Harris.
It continued with the long-awaited sit-down with quarterback Trent Green. It ended with a meeting with Kansas City’s Tom Condon, the agent for — among others — free-agent linebackers Kawika Mitchell and Donnie Edwards, and wide receiver Kevin Curtis.
But Peterson, the Chiefs president and general manager, was unable to reach a resolution on any of it. Harris remained in Kansas City for a second night, an unusual occurrence for a free-agent visitor, but had yet to agree to a contract.
Green is still a member of the Chiefs, though his time in Kansas City may be winding down. He appears to have lost his starting job since the Chiefs re-signed Damon Huard last week. The Chiefs have offered him in trade to other teams.
Green and his agent, Jim Steiner, declined to answer questions about his meeting with Peterson.
“He’s a very special person,” Peterson said. “That’s what he is, a very special person. We agreed that what we discussed would remain between him and me. He is still a member of this team. Right now, he is. There’s no question about it.”
Peterson was unsure whether his meeting with Condon would lead to deals or even visits with any of the agent’s free-agent clients.
The Chiefs are looking at Harris, a first-round pick of the Raiders in 2002, to play middle linebacker. He played five NFL seasons, the first three with Oakland and the last two with Minnesota.
Harris went from the Raiders to the Vikings as part of the Randy Moss trade. He met with Tampa Bay before coming to Kansas City.
“He’s an impressive guy,” Peterson said. “He’s a guy that we’ve liked very much for a long time. I remember when he sat in my office before the draft when he was coming out of college. We brought him in that year before the draft. We thought a lot of him. We made a decision, right or wrong, to go with Ryan Sims. That’s one of the great things about free-agency. You might not get a guy the first time around, but you’ve got a chance to get him the second time.”
Whether the Chiefs try to re-sign Mitchell, their starting middle linebacker for the last four years, or Edwards, who started his career with six seasons with the Chiefs, could depend on their success in signing Harris.
Though Harris and Mitchell have played middle linebacker, there could be room for both because the Chiefs have discussed moving Mitchell to an outside position.
The Chiefs will probably add at least one linebacker if Mitchell signs elsewhere. Derrick Johnson has a solid grasp on one starting spot, but the Chiefs would like to improve over Kendrell Bell, a disappointing free-agent signing from two years ago.
That’s where Edwards could fit in. The Chiefs released him five years ago, and he played well against them twice each season since then for San Diego.
The Chiefs regretted the move and have been trying to replace him ever since.
“We’ve said from the outset that we’d like to have Kawika back, but it’s got to be at the right numbers,” Peterson said. “Everybody knows of my liking of the UCLA guy (Edwards).”
Peterson said Condon was trying to drum up interest in Curtis, who played the last four seasons for the Rams. He has mainly been a third receiver, but he caught 40 passes and scored four touchdowns last season, and many scouts think he is ready to emerge as a star.
Curtis has had visits with the Vikings and Lions and may come to Kansas City.
“It depends on where Tom is with the numbers,” Peterson said.
Jordan Black, last season’s starting left tackle, lost his starting job over the weekend when the Chiefs signed Miami free agent Damion McIntosh. Black, an unrestricted free agent, was scheduled to visit with Tampa Bay today and Oakland on Wednesday.
