exchange for a 2nd round pick in the 2004 draft. He was immediately signed to a 5-year, $26.5 million extension (in addition to the one year remaining on his contract), making Turley the fourth-highest paid offensive lineman in the league. With future hall-of-famer Orlando Pace already entrenched at the starting left tackle position, Turley moved to the right side and started all 16 regular games plus the single playoff game of the Rams 2003 season. During week 7, Turley suffered a severe concussion after taking a knee to the back of the head, but he was cleared for practice by mid-week and started the next game (as Turley would later attest in a January 2010 congressional hearing on the NFL's handling of concussions). In December 2003, Turley was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Turley underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc in March 2004. He re-aggravated the injury during training camp and was placed on injured reserve on August 28, ending his season. Turley ruled out a second surgery on his back and opted for a long rehabilitation instead, during which his weight dropped to 235 pounds from a normal playing weight of 310. In December, he was involved in a heated exchange regarding the matter with head coach Mike Martz, after which Martz filed a complaint with NFL security. No disciplinary action was taken as a result, but Turley admitted that hard feelings lingered. Turley also harbored feelings of resentment leading up to the incident, believing that the organization acted recklessly and carelessly in pushing him to return from back surgery too soon and advising him to play through initial onset of the injury during the 2003 season. During his continued rehabilitation in 2005, Turley suggested he may switch to the defensive end position to lessen the load on his back. He was released by the Rams on June 6, 2005, however, after failing a physical. He ended up spending the entire 2004 and 2005 seasons out of football, continuing his recovery and training for a return in 2006. Kansas City Chiefs After a mini-camp tryout at tight end for the Miami Dolphins, Turley signed a two-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs on June 13, 2006, where he would compete for a starting job at the right tackle position. He started the first two games of the season, but recurring back problems and a shoulder injury