Could the Chiefs and Dwayne Bowe be headed for an inevitable divorce?
Per NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, Bowe could end up on the free agent market if the Chiefs are unable to trade him, per two sources informed of the team's plans. The 30-year-old is set to make almost $11 million this year as part of the five-year, $56 million contract he signed back in 2013.
However, working against Bowe is the fact that little of that money is guaranteed. The Chiefs could move on with a minimal cap hit if need be.
In a way, it will be interesting to see Bowe in another uniform. Long thought to be among the league's better wide receivers, he was never in a system that truly emphasized his strengths. His best years -- 2010 and 2011 -- saw him catch 153 passes for 2,321 yards and 20 touchdowns. In the three years following, he's managed just 2,228 yards and eight scores.
In an ironic twist, Bowe was the last wide receiver to catch a touchdown pass in a Chiefs uniform -- more than 365 days ago. His 22-yard catch from Alex Smith on Dec. 8, 2013, stands as the last touchdown catch made by a Kansas City wideout.
Essentially, few would blame Bowe for exploring his options and not accepting a watered-down version of the mega-deal he signed just two years ago.
His presence on the free-agent market would not immediately shake up the soon-to-be lively bidding wars, but it will be fascinating to see where under-utilized veterans like he and Andre Johnsonend up.
Perhaps we could be treated to a brief window of what might have been.
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