There was a lot of talk in the past two months that Carolina veteran receiver Steve Smith could end up in the AFC West. It was reported he was interested in joining either San Diego or Oakland. Then, it was reported the Chargers would monitor Smith.

It was a fruitless exercise. Smith told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that he wants to remain in Carolina. So, if a veteran receiver is heading west, it won’t be Smith.

Meanwhile, Schefter thinks the Jets may have the cap room to be considered the favorite to land Oakland cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. However, Mike Lombardi of the NFL Network believes Houston is now in the lead. This thing is heating up fast.

Denver is interested in Dallas defensive end Stephen Bowen. The Broncos have been quiet so far and I don’t think adding Bowen would get people excited about the defense. UPDATE: Bowen reportedly agreed to terms with Washington.

Receiver Steve Breaston, who agreed to terms with the Chiefs on Wednesday, gave Chiefs coach Todd Haley a backhanded compliment in a Kansas City radio interview. Breaston played for Haley in Arizona in his first two NFL seasons.

The Football Outsiders, in an Insider piece, show that they are big fans of the Chiefs’ young talent.