Will Atlanta Trade Tony Gonzalez to Kansas City?
Coming into the 2013 NFL Season, the Atlanta Falcons were a Super Bowl favorite, but now they are 66/1 Odds – according to William Hill Online Betting. The Falcons had even convinced Tight End – Tony Gonzalez to come back for one last season, hoping to send him out with a championship title and a story book ending.
The season began with a tough loss at New Orleans and snowballed after that. Plagued with the injuries of Roddy White, Steven Jackson and the Mortal Kombat like “Finish Him” death blow news that Julio Jones is out for the remainder of the season – the question remains … What does Atlanta do next?
Coming off of the Week 6 Bye – Atlanta faces Tampa Bay, Arizona and Carolina, which are three very winnable games. The issue that stands is that if Atlanta goes 3-0 in that stretch, they’re back in the playoff hunt. The wrinkle in this plan is that their window is closing fast, as the NFL in 2012 moved the trade deadline back to Week 8 in the NFL Season.
Atlanta has an ultimatum, either push through and see how everything plays out or trade their best asset for draft picks – which is Tony Gonzalez.
Scenario 1: Atlanta stays firm in holding onto Tony Gonzalez. The issue still remains that their defense is atrocious and was picked apart at a home Monday Night Football game vs. a Geno Smith led New York Jets offense. The punch of Julio Jones is gone … therefore, I think if they stand firm – they need to make the necessary move of reaching out to NFL teams for WR help, specifically either Hakeem Nicks or Josh Gordon. Not that this will replace Julio Jones, but it’s a message to both the franchise, players and fan base that the brass of Atlanta still believes in this team. Let’s be honest though … they’re not going anywhere even if they make it into the playoffs due to their defensive unit.
Scenario 2: Trade Tony Gonzalez. It’s going to be interesting to see if football management in Atlanta actually care about the best intentions of their players. Atlanta actually made a guy un-retire, lured him back into the NFL simply for another shot at winning a championship. The obvious trading partner here is Kansas City. They lack a Tight End and it would be sending Tony Gonzalez back to where it all began. The move makes perfect sense for an Atlanta team in desperate need of defensive help, which translates to them trading for mid-late round draft pick/picks from Kansas City. Exactly what is the cost of a legendary Tight End who should be viewed as a 10 week rental? I would imagine a 5th or 6th Round Pick would be on line. In making this move, Kansas City has a legitimate shot at making a serious run into the playoffs. I feel that their success will be tied to home-field advantage. If they are able to hurdle over Denver for the spot, next to Seattle – Kansas City is one of the most difficult places for opposing teams to play.
Rotoworld.com was quoted under the following news-report, “Coach Mike Smith told ESPN.com that the Falcons have no plans to trade Tony Gonzalez. ‘That’s preposterous,’ Smith said. ‘He’s an integral part of our offense — and will continue to be — to the success we’re going to have.’ This coincides with a report by FOX’s Jay Glazer that Gonzalez ‘absolutely does not’ want to be traded and intends to finish his career in Atlanta. Gonzalez speculation will likely continue leading up to the Oct. 29 trade deadline, but it remains likely that he plays out his final season with the Falcons.”
I can speak for all Kansas City fans in relaying Player’s message from the chorus below … Enjoy the sound-bite!