Sportsfrog.com

I never really believed that the Chiefs were going to trade Tony Gonzalez. Maybe because Gonzalez had become the face of the franchise, and really the only face of the franchise that I ever knew. I was 11 when Carl Peterson made the unfathomable-at-the-time decision to trade up to get Gonzalez, and I still can remember the playoff loss in TG’s rookie year (when he split time with the immortal Ted Popson) like it was yesterday.

I felt that Clark Hunt had an infinitely bigger sense of attachment to Gonzalez, and whatever Todd Haley and Scott Pioli wanted to do with Gonzalez, Hunt would veto.

Instead, it happened today, and Tony was traded to the Atlanta Falcons for a 2010 second round pick. (hat tip, TimGod)

And I’m just fine with the move.

Gonzalez didn’t want to be a Kansas City Chief anymore, and who could blame him? He’s 33, nearing the end of his career, has never won a playoff game, and he, along with everyone else, knew that the Chiefs weren’t going to be in a position to win any playoff games anytime soon.

The deal is great for both sides. The Chiefs get a second round pick for a great tight end who wasn’t going to help them reach the playoffs in the near future for a potential impact player in next year’s draft. The Falcons, who had the fewest catches in the league last year from their tight ends, get another elite receiving option to go along with Roddy White, helping Matt Ryan’s development and also opening up more running lanes for Michael Turner. And most importantly, with the lineup that the Falcons have, Gonzalez may be the piece they need to take another step as a team and win a playoff game.

As a fan, it’s saddening to see TG go. He was the consummate pro, went to 10 Pro Bowls and thankfully (yes, I realize it’s trivial) set the all-time records for touchdowns, catches and receiving yards as a tight end with the Chiefs. But at the same time, a draft pick is worth more to the Chiefs right now than the services of Tony Gonzalez, and here’s to hoping the Falcons get him a playoff win or two, or maybe even a Super Bowl.