Trent Green: Monkey in the Middle?

The Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, and Trent Green are involved in the old schoolyard game "Monkey in the Middle." You know the game, two kids on the outside tossing a ball back and forth over the poor kid in the middle trying to snag the ball to move out of the middle.

Usually, the game devolves to two bigger kids on the outside with a smaller kid stuck in the middle. The smaller kid grows increasingly frustrated because of his inability to impact the situation. It almost always ends badly.

The current situation in Kansas City has quarterback Trent Green stuck firmly in the middle while the Chiefs and Dolphins toss the ball back and forth as Green flails desperately, and without much success, to make something happen.

The Chiefs are determined to move in a younger direction. In a February meeting involving Green and Chiefs president Carl Peterson, the Chiefs tipped their hand. They told Green he needed to restructure his contract, take a pay cut, and make room for renewed competition for the starting quarterback position.

Seemingly, the Chief's see Brodie Croyle as their future and want their future to begin now. Some have Green projected as third string behind Croyle and Damon Huard, who capably filled in for Green during his concussion recovery last season.

Unwilling to restructure his contract, Green sought a deal with the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins would prefer not to begin the season with Daunte Culpepper at the helm. He is still recovering from the knee injury that severely limited him last year.

Ideally, the Dolphins would bring in Green to start for several years while mentoring Dolphins rookie second-round selection Jon Beck.

Green and the Dolphins reportedly worked out a deal. The sticking point is the Dolphins' proposed compensation to the Chiefs hasn't been enough to induce the Chiefs to pull the trigger on the deal.

What's at stake?

For the Chiefs...

The Chiefs stand to be stuck with Green's $7.2 million guaranteed paycheck this year — pricey for a third-string quarterback. Alternatively, they could end up cutting Green before the beginning of the season and receive nothing at all in compensation.

The Chiefs have publicly said they are willing to pay the money to keep Green on as a capable backup. However, this seems to be a bluff. Green won't be happy and the disruption to the team chemistry would be potentially devastating.

For Green...

Green badly wants to move to the Dolphins where he hasn't been guaranteed the starting role, but would be a prohibitive favorite to earn the spot. His chances of starting this year diminish with each day of missed workouts.

Green, through his agent, has said he will not play another game for the Chiefs. He has few options. He can continue showing up for team meetings and workouts while waiting for the Chiefs to decide his fate, hold out, or retire. Largely powerless under the circumstances, Green's frustration increases daily.

For the Dolphins...

The Dolphins desperately want Green. They have the tough decision of paying more to get Green sooner or wait out the Chiefs and pick him up late if he is cut.

The Dolphins face the prospects of beginning the season with the uncertainty of Culpepper's ability to fully recover from his injury or the prospects of starting the inexperienced Beck.

The most likely scenario is that Green ends up in Miami, but the question is when? The circumstances dictate that both the Dolphins and the Chiefs should be very motivated to make this happen sooner than later.

The Chiefs lose compensation if negotiations drag on too long and they are forced to cut Green. The Dolphins lose valuable time to acclimate Green to their system with the passage of time. And Green's odds of starting this year plummet without adequate time to integrate with a new team.

Both sides lose negotiating power as it drags on. And who loses if it drags out to the eventual cutting of Green? All three monkeys.

Todd Beckstead is the founder of MonsterDraft.com, a fantasy football draft guide.

Comments and Conversation

May 25, 2007

CurtMerzFan:

As long as Miami is playing lowball, KC has nothing to lose, and everything to gain by waiting. The demand for a veteran QB can be very high later in the year when many teams have QB injuries occur during training camp and the pre-season, KC doesn’t owe Green another penny until the regular season starts, and Trent is a good hedge against an injury to either Huard or Croyle in the meantime. There is no financial risk to KC from waiting except the possible loss of a 6th round pick - which is peanuts in terms of real value. KC is doing exactly the right thing and Trent has only himself to blame. By trying to force a trade only to Miami and not being willing to consider other teams, he devalued himself in the trade market. And it looks like he did it on purpose. Trent is a pretty savvy guy, I can’t believe he didn’t realize he was undermining KC’s ability to get market value for him in a trade - and I have to say it smacks of bitterness and petulance on his part - all because he got older and the Chiefs had to move on? Is this the same ‘Class Guy’ us Chiefs fans have come to know and respect. No matter what happens now, Trent is damaged goods in KC. If he’d handled this better, he could have gone someplace else for a few years to play, and then come back to KC to a long career in broadcasting. That aint gonna happen now because he’s soured the the fans with his childishness. Sad.

May 26, 2007

Anthony Brancato:

If Green does get cut, wouldn’t he have a much better chance of landing the starting job in Minnesota than he would in Miami?

And I see the Cheifs taking a major step backward in 2007: Don’t read too much into Damon Huard’s 2006 stats - you or I could have compiled those numbers with everybody shoving eight and nine guys in the box to stop the run; and I’m very far from convinced that Brodie Croyle is the answer - now, or ever for that matter.

Only the Raiders will keep the Chiefs out of the AFC West cellar this coming year. At least 10 losses looms a foregone conclusion.

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