What’s happening in Chiefs Kingdom?
Chris Jones pledged his loyalty to the Chiefs, a top-five left tackle was linked to Kansas City in trade rumors, and a Chiefs legend passed away, leaving behind a tremendous legacy.
Let’s look at the most recent and relevant Chiefs stories for the morning of March 13.
Latest in Chiefs news
Top Chiefs stories
- Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said “I’m a Chief for life. I will not play for another franchise.” This is a strong and notable statement considering Jones is due over $28 million in the final year of his contract. The Chiefs have a decision to make with Jones: either extend him, trade him to save money, or let him play out the rest of his deal. With such a huge cap hit the latter seems unlikely, but we’ll see as free agency looms.
- ESPN’s Dan Graziano named Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil as a Chiefs trade target. It would surely be a good fit for a tackle-needy team like the Chiefs who may lose Orlando Brown Jr. to free agency, but why would the Texans trade Tunsil? Maybe to save cap room, but they’ll soon have a first-round quarterback on a rookie deal, so why not protect that new asset?
- The Chiefs were among the teams in attendance for receiver Odell Beckham Jr.’s private workout. It’s no secret that the Chiefs are interested in Beckham, especially with Mecole Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster hitting free agency. But Beckham may want $20 million per year — would the Chiefs actually be willing to pay that?
- Chiefs legend Otis Taylor died at 80 after dealing with Parkinson’s disease for years. Chiefs owner Clark Hunt released a statement on the passing of Taylor, who won Super Bowl IV with the team and has been in the Chiefs Ring of Honor for over 40 years.
In case you missed it
- The Chiefs tendered restricted free agent punter Tommy Townsend who can still negotiate with other teams, but the Chiefs will have first dibs on matching any offers received by Townsend.
- Ex-NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum wouldn’t be surprised to see Brown back with the Chiefs.
- Hardman’s cryptic tweet at Bears quarterback Justin Fields on Thursday set the stage for plenty of theories about the future of the receiver position in Kansas City.
- ESPN speculated that Kansas City could be an ideal fit for free agent pass rusher Marcus Davenport.
Draft notes
- Chiefs Wire editor Charles Goldman released his latest pre-free agency first-round projections for the draft, featuring possible quarterback trades. The player he has going to the Chiefs at pick No. 31 makes a lot of sense.
- Speaking of pick No. 31 — who are analysts selecting for the Chiefs at that pick? Lately, it has been a mix of offensive tackles, receivers and edge rushers.
- Chiefs scouts recently attended pro days for Texas, Purdue, UNLV, Columbia and Illinois.
- The Chiefs will host Stephen F. Austin edge rusher B.J. Thompson on a top-30 visit.
Around the AFC West
Denver Broncos news
- The Broncos released three players recently: cornerback Ronald Darby, offensive lineman Graham Glasgow and running back Chase Edmonds, saving a combined $26.5 million in cap space.
- Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton seemed to confirm rumors of trade talks after tweeting “I just want to be where I’m wanted and appreciated.”
Las Vegas Raiders news
- It appears Raiders linebacker Denzel Perryman will hit free agency this week after the team failed to secure him on a long-term deal.
Los Angeles Chargers news
- After restructuring the contracts of receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams on Thursday, the Chargers created more cap space by restructuring the contracts of linebackers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.
Around the NFL
- The Miami Dolphins picked up the fifth-year option of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, which means he’ll be due $23.4 million in 2024.
- In more major Dolphins news, the team sent a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
- The Chicago Bears earned a massive haul for the first overall pick, trading their 2023 first-rounder to the Carolina Panthers for 2023 first- (9) and second-round (61) picks, a first-rounder in 2024, a second-rounder in 2025 and receiver D.J. Moore.
- The Minnesota Vikings released receiver Adam Thielen, saving the team a little over $6 million in cap space.
- Patriots safety Devin McCourty officially retired from the NFL after 13 seasons in the league.
