In the NFC North, a division that no one apparently wants to win - none of the 4 teams are currently over .500 - all it’s going to take is an ill-timed injury or a key trade to make the difference between a team watching the playoffs from home and getting knocked out by their first round opponent. Which is why when the Packers heard that Tony Gonzalez wasn’t too happy playing for the rebuilding Chiefs, they made them an offer. And the Chiefs accepted.

(He’s not exactly smiling now)

But things didn’t turn out so great for the fans who don the hats of cheese. Even though the Packers “sent the papers and everything, thinking it was going to happen”, the Chiefs pulled the ol’ “Why don’t you give us more than we agreed to” routine with about 10 minutes to go before the deadline was over. The Packers did not.

From the WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL:

According to two NFL sources familiar with the negotiations, the Packers had drawn up the trade paperwork and sent it to the Chiefs to finalize the deal — a third-round pick for Gonzalez — only to have the Chiefs call them 10 minutes before the deadline to say it would take a second-round pick to get the deal done.

According to the source, the Packers, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles all made offers — the Giants offering a fourth-round pick, the Eagles and Packers offering third-rounders. The source said the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills made better offers but Gonzalez wasn’t interested in playing for either team.

Gonzo, obviously, is none too pleased:

“I’m shocked. It didn’t make sense not to do this deal,” the 32-year-old Gonzalez said. “It’s winding down for me and this team is rebuilding. If they said from the get-go, ‘No, we’re not going to trade you,’ that would’ve been better than how this whole thing unfolded. But that’s not what happened.

“I know teams offered a third and in the end, Carl Peterson made the asking price a second,” Gonzalez said. “I’m very disappointed that he didn’t go through with it after he told me he was going to try to make it happen. I’ve been around this league a long time, it’s a business. There’s nothing I can do about it. I was (expletive) off about it but I’ll get over it. I won’t let it affect my play and my preparation.”

If the mild-mannered Tony G is starting to use profanities, then you know it’s getting serious. But really, it does seem like a bone-headed move by the Chiefs.

Here’s a team obviously not going anywhere any time soon, and they think they can be the ones calling the shots? Sure, it would have been a hit to the morale of the fan base by getting rid of one of the most beloved players in team history, but there’s a simple cure for fan morale: Putting a winning team on the field!