This week, Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke with retired Pro Bowl center Mitch Morse.

In his interview with Easton Jr., Morse shares his reaction to the 2018 free agency departure from the Kansas City Chiefs.

“I had more than an inkling that the writing was on the wall. Candid conversations are sometimes hard to come by in this business, but, on the rare occasions that they do, I think they’re becoming more prevalent,” said Morse, “It’s just a good way to do business, or it can be uncomfortable. I’m going into 2017, the year prior, there was a change of guard at GM (General Manager), Brett Veach steps in as the GM, and before training camp, he says, “Hey, let’s just get through this year, and we’ll get you your deal done.” It took me aback, but it was also a great vote of confidence.”

Morse wasn’t surprised that the 2018 AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots would end up being his last game with the Chiefs. He detailed his injury journey that season, which affected his contract negotiations.

“Week 2, I blow my foot out to oblivion, try to come back, and it’s not working. I ended up playing like five games that year, and had to have pretty major foot surgery. Free agency happens; they’re spending money. They’re not going to spend money on a guy they don’t know will be the same player coming back. This foot injury is pretty profound, so they go about it like, hey, we’ll revisit this in training camp and see if you still have the juice. All right, that makes sense,” said Morse, “Training camp comes around, it’s working out great, foot’s feeling good, and then they go:, “listen, we’ve spent a little too much, we’ve spent in free agency. We don’t have any more capital for you, and honestly, at that moment”, I had two concussions, and then I got another one in 2018, so at the end of that year, I had had three concussions. I had missed all these games with those concussions, and with that foot, I think I’d played one season’s worth in the last two seasons. When I was on the field, it felt very good. I felt like I was playing good football.”

During the offseason, Morse signed a four-year $44.5 million contract with the Buffalo Bills, making him the highest-paid center in the league at the time.

“It was probably time for a change of scenery for both parties. There was no offer on the table. That was okay. They told me they’re going to let me walk. What that did, honestly, counterintuitively, was free me up. “I had this huge sense of freedom that I’ve only had a few times in my career, because I knew where I stood with the team,” said Morse. “It wasn’t because they didn’t like me. They didn’t think they could afford me. At least that’s what they told me. I don’t want to know the other way around; this goes in a direction where sometimes not telling you the truth is also helpful for feelings’ sake. There was no ill will, but I knew where I stood come that AFC Championship game.”

Morse played center for 10 seasons in the National Football League for the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Jacksonville Jaguars, earning a Pro Bowl selection in 2022. He also played college football for the Missouri Tigers. He hosts a weekly podcast, Monday Mornings with Mitch, and can be followed on Instagram and X.