Report: Trade Talks Between The Dolphins & Chiefs For Branden Albert “Cold”

Update:

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports that things still sound “cold” regarding a possible trade between the Dolphins and Chiefs for LT Branden Albert.

• According to the Associated Press, the Miami Dolphins and intend to resume discussions regarding a trade for Albert.

“We’ll see what happens,” Dorsey said. “That’s kind of where we’re at.”

• Armando Salguero reports it’s “60-40″ that the Dolphins acquire Albert.
• Ian Rapoport reported yesterday that a trade may not take place until Miami was on the clock.

The Dolphins wound up trading away their No. 42 overall pick to the Raiders in a move up for Oregon DE Dion Jordan, which means Kansas City would now have to accept Miami’s No. 54 overall pick, but they’ve reportedly been uncomfortable to do so in recent days.

The Chiefs took Eric Fisher out of Central Michigan with the No. 1 pick, so they clearly have a long-term left tackle in place. I guess we’ll see what happens later tonight as both teams appear to have options available to them.

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Ian Rapoport reports that a Branden Albert trade may not happen until the Dolphins are on the clock.

This is an obvious indication that both sides are holding out to the last minute in the hope of the other team caving in on their demands. Several reports maintain that compensation is still the hold up between the two sides.

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Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post reports that a source has informed him that the Dolphins don’t believe LT Branden Albert is worth a second-round pick.

Chiefs GM John Dorsey mentioned that they have no plans to give Albert away and taking either Luke Joeckel or Eric Fisher with No. 1 overall pick wouldn’t have any impact on whether or not Albert is traded tonight, per ESPN’s Ed Werder.

Compensation has been a sticking point in the ongoing negotiations for some time now but, as well all know, deadlines spur action and there’s still a chance that talks could pick up later tonight seeing as it’s increasingly doubtful that Miami will get one of the top offensive tackles in the draft.

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Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports that the Dolphins are willing pay Branden Albert “elite left tackle money.”

Salguero adds that Miami is “on board with the parameters of a contract” with Albert, so it looks as though a trade could be completed at some point in the near, assuming of course that the Dolphins and Chiefs reach an agreement on compensation.

Steve Wyche of the NFL Network reported that the Chiefs are “not pressed to trade Albert” at this point in time. Kansas City is reportedly comfortable with keeping him on their roster, even though he doesn’t want to be moved to right tackle next season.

Albert is believe to be seeking a deal that would pay him $8-$9 million annually, which is really quite high given the current market for offensive tackles, but he’s justifying this asking price by the simple fact that he’s already guaranteed to make close to $10 million for the 2013 after the Chiefs franchised him.

There’s plenty of incentive here for both teams to get this deal done, but it seems likely that the Chiefs will insist that the No. 42 overall pick needs to be included.

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ESPN’s Ed Werder reported on SportsCenter Wednesday that the Miami Dolphins have “resumed dialogue” with the Kansas City Chiefs regarding possible trade for OT Branden Albert.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter added that this deal is like the Darrelle Revis situation with the Jets: “has to happen.”

The teams are likely to be focused on compensation as recent reports suggested that the Dolphins were offering their No. 54 overall pick, instead of their No. 42 selection in the second-round of this year’s draft.

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Ian Rapoport reports that the Dolphins are in fact willing to meet LT Branden Albert‘s contract demands, but are waiting to hear back from the Chiefs.

• Rapoport adds that Albert is believed to be seeking a similar contract to that of Duane Brown.
• The Chiefs may want the Dolphins to include their No. 43 overall pick instead of the later second-round pick. Rapoport adds that Kansas City was initially asking for a second and a seventh-round pick for Albert, but have since lowered their asking price.

Mike Jurecki is “hearing” that the Cardinals have discussed the idea of trading for Chiefs LT Branden Albert.

Jurecki adds that talks between the Dolphins and Albert’s agent have reportedly stalled.

The Chiefs are looking for a second-round pick in return for Albert, but any trade would also require a long-term extension as he’s entering the final year of his contract. Albert is reportedly seeking as much as $8 million-$9 million annually, which could be a big issue for team that is already part with draft compensation for him.

This is also an indication that Arizona is getting the impression that all three of the top offensive tackles will be gone by the time they’re on the clock at No. 7 overall.

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Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports reports that the only way LT Branden Albert gets traded to the Dolphins is if he “significantly” lowers his asking price, which is believed to be in the range of $8 million-$9 million per year.

Jake Long signed with the Rams for less than what Albert is reportedly seeking, so it really doesn’t make a lot of sense for them to trade a second-round pick and then pay Albert more than the guy who they really wanted to keep.

Kansas City wants to get this deal done simply because there’s a good chance he departs during next year’s free agency period, but it will ultimately come down to Albert’s price.

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Mike Jurecki of XTRA 910 is “hearing” that the Dolphins and current Chiefs’ LT Branden Albert are in the process of negotiating a new contract.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid confirmed that they have given Albert permission to speak with the Dolphins to facilitate a trade before the next week’s NFL Draft.

Miami really needs a replacement for Jake Long and Albert could end up being the best available option for the Dolphins given where they’re currently sitting in the first-round. Kansas City is looking for a second-round pick for Albert, but it will be interesting to see if the Dolphins are able to complete a deal for their No. 54 overall pick, versus including pick No. 42 overall.

We’ll have more regarding this topic in the coming days.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid has since clarified his remarks regarding OT Branden Albert. According to Chris Mortensen,  the Chiefs have given the Dolphins permission to speak with Brandon Albert’s agent, but neither a visit or physical are allowed as of now.

• Reid said he misunderstood GM John Dorsey regarding a possible Albert trade.
• He also added that there hasn’t been any communication with the Dolphins in the past two days.
• GM John Dorsey wouldn’t allow Albert to visit unless they were willing to make a “substantive trade offer.“

Albert signed his one-year franchise tender of $9.8 million, which means that Miami will have to be willing to sign him to a long-term extension upon reaching an agreement.

While Dolphins are believed to still have interest in Albert, there’s no guaranteed that a deal will be reached before the start of the draft next Thursday.

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Reid refuted the previous report that they allowed OT Branden Albert to speak with the Miami Dolphins in order to facilitate a trade, per Adam Teicher.

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ESPN’s  John Clayton reports that the Chiefs will allow OT Branden Albert to meet with the Miami Dolphins in order to facilitate a trade for a second-round pick.

Albert currently lives in Miami and is expected to visit with the team at some point in the next few days. It will be interesting to see if the Dolphins insist upon trading their later second-round selection — No. 54 overall — or are willing to include pick No. 42 overall in a deal for Albert.

We’ll have more as the new becomes available.

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Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports that the Miami Dolphins do in fact have interest in Chiefs OT Branden Albert.

• Rapoport adds that the big question is whether or not the Chiefs are willing to trade him for Miami’s second additional second-round pick — No. 54 overall.
• Jason La Canfora reports that Miami would likely turn their attention to cornerback if they acquired Albert via trade.
• La Canfora specifically mentions that Alabama CB Dee Millner and West Virginia WR Tavon Austin could both be targets.

The Dolphins also have the 42nd pick in the draft as well, but they apparently would prefer to not include that selection in a trade for Albert.

Previous reports indicated that the Chiefs are willing to trade Albert for a second-round pick, so it seems reasonable that they would at least consider the idea. Kansas City appears to be prepared to draft a replacement for Albert with their No. 1 overall pick and they’re currently without a second-rounder after they traded for QB Alex Smith.

The Dolphins could step up their pursuit of Albert depending on what happens within the first seven picks of the upcoming draft.