Friday, March 29
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ESPN.com news services
KANSAS CITY -- The Kansas City Chiefs may have found the impact wide receiver they were looking for.
The Chiefs are close to reaching an agreement with free agent Johnnie Morton, the Kansas City Star reported on Friday.
Morton delayed his departure from Kansas City several times on Thursday as both sides attempted to finalize a deal. An agreement may be reached as early as Friday.
"We're just ironing out some details," Morton told the Star. "It seems like we're real close. Everything is perfect here. I feel like I'm part of a family."
Morton has been a big-play receiver throughout his eight-year career, all with the Detroit Lions. Last season Morton caught 77 balls for a career-high 1,154 yards and four touchdowns.
The Chiefs are looking for a top-rate wide receiver to complement tight end Tony Gonzalez, who caught 73 passes for 917 yards last season. Marvin Minnis led the Chiefs' wide receivers with just 33 receptions.
"He would come in here and be the top receiver on the team," coach Dick Vermeil told the Star. "He would add another degree of explosiveness to our offense. We need to score more points. He could make the plays to help us do that."
Morton had previously met with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the St. Louis Rams. Morton is also planning to visit Denver. But after Thursday's progress with the Chiefs, Morton told the Star, "That (trip) may be unnecessary, most likely."
-03-29-2002, 07:42 AM