The Chiefs in a release Thursday afternoon said that coach Andy Reid has signed an extension, but GM John Dorsey is "no longer with the team, effective immediately," according to Terez Paylor of the K.C. STAR. The original five-year contracts for Reid and Dorsey were "set to expire after this season." Chiefs Chair & CEO Clark Hunt said, "This decision, while a difficult one, allows John to pursue other opportunities as we continue our preparations for the upcoming season and the seasons to come. My family and I sincerely appreciate John’s work over the last four-and-a-half years, and we wish him nothing but the best in the future." Hunt in a letter to season-ticket holders said his decision came after "thorough examination of the entire football operation." Given the Chiefs’ success -- making the playoffs in three of the last four years -- Dorsey’s departure "resonated throughout the NFL given his reputation as a strong talent evaluator." Sources said that the move also "generated internal surprise" as the news "interrupted the vacations of multiple members of the Chiefs front office during the only down period of the football season." With Dorsey out, the "next men in line for a promotion" would appear to be Chiefs co-Dirs of Pro Personnel Brett Veach and Mike Borgonzi. The Chiefs "could also hire from outside." The new GM, like Dorsey, will "continue to report" to Hunt, same as Reid and team President Mark Donovan (K.C. STAR, 6/23). ESPN's Adam Schefter cited a source as saying the Chiefs and Dorsey "did not agree to part ways." The source said that the Chiefs "dismissed" Dorsey (TWITTER.com, 6/22). Meanwhile, ESPN's Adam Teicher cited a source as saying that Reid's extension is for "five years" (ESPN.com, 6/22).
FUTURE UNCERTAIN: The AP's Dave Skretta noted Hunt "did not say who will handle the GM duties on an interim basis," though Reid while with the Eagles "juggled coaching and personnel decisions ... with varying levels of success." Hunt also "did not say why he thought the organization needed to move in a different direction, nor was he made available to answer questions" (AP, 6/22). NFL.com's Conor Orr noted after losing their No. 2 personnel man, Chris Ballard, to the Colts this offseason, Dorsey was "viewed as the stabilizing force who could keep the consistently steady Chiefs on track." While this might seem like an "odd time to change direction, the draft often serves as a logical starting and ending point for executives in the front office" (NFL.com, 6/22).
SAY CHEESE? In K.C., James Dornbrook noted Dorsey has been employed in the NFL for 33 years, "first entering the league" as a LB with the Packers in '84. In January, a story pointed out that Dorsey was being "considered as a potential successor" to Packers Exec VP, GM & Dir of Football Operations Ted Thompson. But Dorsey "hasn't shed any light on his potential plans" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 6/22).
UNUSUAL TIMING: SPORTING NEWS' David Steele wrote under the header, "Chiefs Become Latest Franchise To Ignore Timing, Logic With GM Firing" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 6/22). In K.C., Sam Mellinger in a front-page piece writes "firing widely respected" Dorsey "is not the Chiefs-iest move imaginable merely because of the bizarre decision and horrific timing." With normal NFL franchises, GMs who "build one of the league’s best top-to-bottom rosters aren’t let go at any point in the calendar." This is also the "Chiefs-iest move imaginable because of the radio silence about what really happened." Most messages "left for people in Chiefs football operations past and present -- including to Dorsey -- went unreturned." The Chiefs have always been "good at drawing the circle tight when they need to." Mellinger notes Reid was "told about Dorsey, but not asked to approve or give input on the decision." Reid "did not force Dorsey out, but Hunt didn’t come up with this idea by himself." Perhaps this all "broke down around negotiations for a contract extension." Hunt has always been "deliberate by nature and process, but the NFL moves fast, and he just put his franchise in an unnecessarily difficult position" (K.C. STAR, 6/23).
WHO KNEW? Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio said of the Dorsey departure, "It's just bewildering. ... Just a bizarre situation. Dorsey seemed to be Reid's hand-picked GM." Florio added, “The circumstances, though, the timing, it invites speculation. ... When one guy gets an extension and the other guy's gone and they both report directly to the boss, how do you not speculate that at some point during the negotiations on the extension with the coach, the coach may have said, or his agent may have said, more likely his agent may have said, something to indicate that a change may be in order?" Florio: “Surely he didn't sign off on the extension and then get blindsided the same way everybody else did" ("PFT," NBCSN, 6/23). NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said NFL coaches and execs were “absolutely shocked” over Dorsey's exit ("NFL Total Access," NFL Network, 6/22). Former NFL personnel exec Mike McCartney: "Haven't been this blown away by a move in my 26 years in the NFL. WOW!" NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal: "The Dorsey move is so surprising because he and Reid executed a textbook franchise overhaul last 4 years." The Ringer's Kevin Clark: "If you're a GM with soft job security, you do not like that John Dorsey is now available" (TWITTER.com, 6/22).
