“DeVito was the first Jet to find a new team, reaching an agreement with the Chiefs. Information about his impending trip to Kansas City came out shortly after the 4 p.m. opening to the league year.”

JThe rest of the story:

(Rich Cimini)”Then the New York Jets called his agent.”They made an offer at the last second,” the former Jets defensive lineman said in a phone interview. “I don’t even know what it was. With everything going on — the salary cap, [John] Idzik being new … it was just time to go. It was one of those things that had to happen.”DeVito didn’t know the specifics of the Jets’ offer, but it was nowhere close to the three-year, $12.6 million contract he landed with the Chiefs. No hard feelings, said DeVito, who loved his time in New York.

The Jets expressed interest in retaining DeVito, Keller and Landry, but they had no intention of waging bidding wars even though they began free agency with about $15 million in cap room — roughly $6 million of that earmarked for the draft.”

I don’t think the Chiefs cheated anyone out of anything.

And this from analysis done by Albert Breer (3/11):

“So this weekend, the info that was flowing came largely from agents — who, like the teams, are caught in a “What do I do here?” situation. As such, it was heavy on individual agendas. The agents feel the pressure, too, having to deliver for clients in what’s expected to be a depressed marketplace.

The new setup has helped, giving teams looking to shop at the top of the market an idea about where the spending ceiling is going to be over the next week. The secondary tiers of free agents — those who will fill in behind the short list of big-time guys — have presented more of a challenge, thanks to the uncertainty about prices. Some clubs are wary about overspending, and some agents are petrified that they’ll undersell.

“Some of the market is getting set with some deals getting done, so you can (project) a comparable market,” said an AFC personnel executive. “It’s created more of a pinpoint — ‘This is what it will cost,’ rather than, ‘I generally think this player’s market will be $5 million-$7 million.’ You now sense and feel a little better what it’ll take for X, Y or Z.”"

The NFL knew what was going on.

League needs to make an example of this. Poor Jets are getting looted by other teams for playing by the rules.

The league office really needs to clarify the rules. Either free agency has started or it hasn’t. The “negotiating period” prior to the opening of free agency only invites confusion and errors to be made.

“Getting ready” could mean a number of different things.

Does it mean he was at the airport “getting ready” to board a plane?

Does it mean he was packing so he would be ready at a moment’s notice once travel arrangements were made?

Does it mean KC inquired about flight schedules ( you know, without actually making travel arrangements) and found there was an available flight just after the 4:00 pm start of FA? And wanted DeVito at the airport ready to go as soon as arrangements were made and paid for?

Were travel arrangements made but not paid for until 4:00 pm Tuesday? I know it’s a technicality,but if arrangements weren’t paid for until after 4:00 pm were they really made in advance of FA?