[Kansas City.com] It has been nearly a year since Priest Holmes’ season drifted away in the San Diego sun, and Holmes still isn’t anywhere near Arrowhead Stadium. Some hurt players stick around and watch practice, but Holmes is back in San Antonio with his future as uncertain as the day he collided with Shawne Merriman.
“I don’t know if it’s telling,” coach Herm Edwards said of Holmes’ absence. “I haven’t been around Priest a whole lot. They say he’s like Casper the Friendly Ghost. You’ll never find him or see him. That’s just kind of his way. I just know that we’ll have another conversation in another week to figure out which way we’re going.”
The Chiefs have until the 12th week of the season to decide whether to put him on the roster or place him on injured reserve. Holmes has been out since Oct. 30, when he suffered head and neck trauma after a helmet-to-helmet collision.
Holmes, a three-time Pro Bowl running back, turned 33 last weekend. Financial reasons might motivate him to keep going. If it is written into his contract, Holmes would probably have to pay back a portion of his $8.5 million signing bonus if he were to retire.
Chiefs president/general manager Carl Peterson said he talks to Holmes about every other week and that he still seems open to playing. Holmes will undergo another medical evaluation soon to determine whether he’s neurologically sound to practice.
“He’s working out, but not, very frankly, with a great deal of vigor right now,” Peterson said. “He’s doing fine physically, but it’s still going to be the doctors’ decision, and he knows that.”
