Kansas City Chiefs GM Brett Veach recently joined team reporter BJ Kissel on the “In the Trenches” podcast.
Veach provided Kissel with some post-Super Bowl quips, thoughts about pending free agent DT Chris Jones, the 2020 NFL draft and the upcoming NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. We’ll speak with Veach at the combine on Tuesday, but until then, this is the first we’ve heard from him since Super Bowl LIV.
You can watch the full interview at the top of the page. Below are some quick takeaways from what he spoke about on the podcast.
Chris Jones is a priority
Kissel didn’t hold back in his interview and asked if Veach could provide an update on Jones. While Veach didn’t exactly have an update to provide, the mindset is all about keeping as many players as possible.
“Chris is obviously a great player and he’s a priority,” Veach said. “We have a lot of priorities. Look, we know how hard it is to win a Super Bowl. It hadn’t been done in 50 years and we won it with the group we had last year. So I think that as we attack this offseason, first up its free agency before the draft, our goal and mindset is to do whatever we can to retain as many players as we can. And Chris (Jones) is at the top of that list because of the talent he is.”
It’s reassuring that Veach isn’t too keen on breaking the band up now that the Chiefs won a Super Bowl. He recognizes that this group of players was special (including Jones). He also wants to get them right back to Super Bowl LV next season.
Veach’s favorite moment(s) of Super Bowl LIV
The youngest GM to win a Super Bowl in NFL history shared his favorite moment from Super Bowl LIV. Well, it was more like several moments.
“I just appreciate getting into the bus every day and going to practice,” Veach said. “It’s such a crazy venue and the whole Super Bowl with how it’s magnified under a microscope. I think just being with the players, coaches, personnel staff and trying to keep things as normal as possible. Then just being on the field where there was no media, no spotlights and just being able to share with the guys this moment. I can’t say how many times during the week at practice we’d say, ‘We’re here.’ Then we had an opportunity, coach Jimmy Johnson spoke to the team and that was a special deal. Just the week itself and being with the team in those moments that are similar to what you have in Kansas City. That was special. And the locker room after the game, that just reinforces why you do what you do. It’s all about the guys you work with and accomplishing something together.”
It makes sense why Veach is such a good fit with the Chiefs. He has that same team mindset that allowed them to get to and win the Super Bowl in the first place.
Doing it for coach Reid
Veach got his start with Andy Reid in Philadelphia and he followed him to Kansas City. Kissel wanted to know what it meant to Veach to get a Super Bowl win, specifically for coach Reid.
“It meant everything,” Veach said. “[Reid] is a guy that has done so much for so many people. Whether they go on to be head coaches or GM’s or Pro Bowl players somewhere else. [Reid] always says he’s not really a football coach, he’s a teacher. He’s a unique person and he cares. Listen, I’ve been around him a long time and I can say this with no hesitation, he cares more about people and seeing them grow as individuals than what they do on the field. When you’re around someone like that for so long, you know that he truly deserves the highest achievement and that’d be a Lombardi Trophy. So to be able to help accomplish that, it was really the biggest highlight of my professional career.”
The sentiment around the league seems to match what Veach is feeling here, even before the Chiefs defeated the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.
Kansas City has a greater appeal to free agents after Super Bowl LIV
Veach expects the Chiefs to be able to be more competitive in the 2020 NFL free agency period than they were after Patrick Mahomes’ MVP season. Now that they’ve got a Super Bowl title under their belt, there will be a variety of players looking to join the squad.
“It helps because I think that players want to play on the biggest venues and in the brightest lights,” Veach said of the Super Bowl win. “They know that coming here and having the opportunity to play in front of our great fans, and playing at Arrowhead, you’re going to get a lot of primetime games. You’re going to be on the national spotlight a bunch. I think this certainly will help us and any ties that there are as you get closer to signing guys, we’ll be able to confidently say that we’ll win most of those ties.”
Players don’t just get to play with one of the best players in football in Mahomes, but they get an increased profile with all of the primetime games the Chiefs will participate in. That’s a pretty big draw for players that are looking to build their own brand.
What makes the 2020 NFL Draft unique?
Despite holding the No. 32 pick in the 2020 NFL draft, Brett Veach is excited about the upcoming class. This year, in particular, has a greater depth all around compared to the previous year according to Veach.
“I would say, having just finished watching my pre-combine tape, this is an extremely deep draft,” Veach explained. “Certain drafts are deeper than others at certain positions. I think as a whole, from position to position across the board [this draft is deep]. You and I were talking earlier BJ, that just in the first two rounds, we have 8-14 more players this year than in last year’s draft. We’re excited about that and we haven’t had a first-round pick in a few years, so having a first-round pick in a draft this deep will certainly be exciting for us.”
Consider that the Chiefs walked away with two studs in the second of the 2019 draft in WR Mecole Hardman and DB Juan Thornhill. It makes you a bit excited about the potential of a deeper draft class. It’ll give the Chiefs more options and increase the likelihood that they land an impact player.
What’s the goal of the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine?
Veach, Reid and the front office staff will head to the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis next week. So what are they looking for from the players they’ll watch and interview?
“Really the combine is a culmination of a year’s worth of work,” Veach said. “[Our scouts] have been on the road. Really we get our list during the OTA period, so you’re talking about initially looking at these guys back in May and June. And our guys do a tremendous job of going to school’s two or three times and logging information. [At the combine] we get to see these guys compete, but really we get to bring them in and figure out who they are as a person and what motivates them. We all know that guys love to play on Sunday’s but I think that one thing is critical to our success which is that guys that truly embrace the process and love being in the building.”
We’ll be on the ground in Indy to provide you with all the latest updates. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, so you don’t miss a thing.
