Pack passes on Gonzalez

You can't say the Packers didn't try. In a bid to acquire veteran Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez from Kansas City, GM Ted Thompson was willing to trade a third round draft pick. It was the best offer the Chiefs received. But KC wanted a second-rounder, and that was just too much for Thompson to part with even after apparently increasing his offer several times throughout the course of the day's conversations. It apparently went right to the wire of the 3 p.m. trade deadline yesterday before the Pack called it quits.

According to reports, Gonzalez was ready to get on board with the Packers and said he would play three more seasons. And, clearly, Gonzalez would have been a great veteran presence in a very young Packers locker room, not to mention providing his still-exceptional receiving and blocking ability that would have added another great weapon to the Pack's offense.

But as Thompson has demonstrated in the past -- passing on Randy Moss and Michael Turner, for example -- he's very tightfisted in making blockbuster offensive trades. For Gonzalez' part, a report in today's Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel cites an NFL source that says he was "livid" that the hapless Chiefs wouldn't trade him for a third-round pick. Gonzalez wanted to go to a playoff contender. Now, he's stuck in KC for a while longer. At least there's great barbecue there.

For more on this story, check out the Journal-Sentinel article here.