Shocking news broke around the NFL on Thursday when the Kansas City Chiefs announced they were parting ways with John Dorsey, just minutes after Andy Reid landed an extension.
“I notified John that we would not be extending his contract beyond the 2017 season, and after consideration, we felt it was in his best interests and the best interests of the team to part ways now,” Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said in a statement. “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.”
It was hard to understand what happened, because Dorsey was Reid’s hand-picked general manager when he came over from Philadelphia. Needless to say, shock was the general sentiment felt around the league.
Already hearing from people around the league expressing shock. Dorsey is highly respected and very good at his job.
— RIP Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) June 22, 2017
There are few news stories I can remember generating as many stunned, dumbfounded reactions as John Dorsey being out in KC. Very respected
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 22, 2017
So the #Chiefs let Chris Ballard go and THEN let John Dorsey go? Something very odd about this.
— Jason Cole (@JasonCole62) June 22, 2017
However, as NFL insiders get more into this story, it appears the decision to part ways wasn’t that at all. Dorsey was dismissed (aka fired), according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Chiefs and John Dorsey did not agree to part ways, per source. Chiefs dismissed John Dorsey, per source. Their decision.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 22, 2017
Adding even more intrigue to this is that Soren Petro of 810 WHB says the decision to fire Dorsey was Hunt’s alone.
I was told this was Clark Hunt's decision alone.
— Soren Petro (@SorenPetro) June 22, 2017
All of a sudden, the Chiefs are scrambling to fill the void and replace one of the best general managers in football. A guy who, until recently had reportedly been trying to work out a long-term extension of his own with the Chiefs.
Something is definitely fishy about all this. No doubt Dorsey will land on his feet again, quite possibly with the organization he came up with, the Green Bay Packers. He could potentially be the eventual replacement of longtime general manager Ted Thompson, though that’s purely speculation.