Chiefs officially release receiver Dwayne Bowe

Dwayne Bowe’s eight-year tenure as a Chief has come to an end Thursday as the team made news of his release official.

“This was a tough decision to make,” Chiefs general manager John Dorsey said in a statement. “Dwayne is a team-first guy and he holds a number of team receiving records. We felt this was in the best interest of the club at this time.”

Bowe, a 30-year-old receiver whose salary cap number is $14 million for 2015, averaged 58 catches for 713 yards in his two seasons under coach Andy Reid.

The fact that he was playing on a five-year, $56 million contract that runs through 2017 and his average production made Bowe an obvious candidate for release, along with the recent addition of new No. 1 receiver Jeremy Maclin.

His release creates $5 million in cap space in 2015 but also sticks the Chiefs with $9 million in dead money this season.

Bowe took to Twitter to thank the Chiefs and the fans.

“I want to thank the entire Chiefs organization from the bottom of my heart,” Bowe wrote. “You believed in me and gave me my chance to play in the NFL. I will be forever grateful.

“There are so many people with the Chiefs and many that are no longer there that have had an impact on my life. I want to specifically thank the Hunt family for running a 1st class organization and I want to thank the best fans in the NFL.

“Special thanks to John Dorsey and Coach Reid also for believing in me. KC Chiefs will forever be in my (heart). GodFirst...”

Bowe’s most productive season with the Chiefs came in 2010, when he had 72 catches for 1,162 yards (a 16.1 average) with 15 touchdowns.

However, this last season he was a part of a receiving corps that did not score a touchdown all season in 2014, but Reid has been complimentary of Bowe for the duration of his tenure.

“It’s been a pleasure working with Dwayne the past two seasons,” Reid said. “He showed up every day with a great attitude and did everything we asked of him. He was a productive player for a number of years here and I have a lot of respect for what he was able to accomplish.”

Bowe leaves the Chiefs as the team’s second all-time leader in receptions (532) behind tight end Tony Gonzalez. He also finished third in yards (7,155) behind Gonzalez and Otis Taylor and fifth in receiving touchdowns (44) behind Gonzalez, Taylor, Chris Burford and Stephone Paige.

“On behalf of my family and the entire Chiefs organization, I’d like to thank Dwayne for his contributions over the last eight seasons,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. “During his time with the Chiefs, Dwayne established himself as one of the best receivers in club history. We wish Dwayne nothing but the best as he moves forward.”

This story was originally published March 12, 2015 at 1:13 PM with the headline "Chiefs officially release receiver Dwayne Bowe."