Chiefs News: GM would trade 10 first-rounders for Mahomes-type player

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Bucs GM: NFL Team Would ‘Offer Literally 10’ 1sts for Mahomes, Burrow-Type Prospect | Bleacher Report

“Obviously, the quarterback is No. 1,” Licht said, per Graziano. “And if you know in the draft a quarterback is going to be lights-out— like, you know he’s going to be Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow— you’d offer literally 10 first-round picks for that guy. It wouldn’t matter. It would be worth it. But it’s such a crapshoot.”

Licht was in his second year as general manager when the Buccaneers used the No. 1 pick of the 2015 NFL draft to select quarterback Jameis Winston out of Florida State.

The Buccaneers never made the playoffs in five seasons with Winston. The team let him walk in free agency before signing Tom Brady in 2020.

“We had Jameis, it didn’t work out, but then we realized that while we had Jameis we were putting together a pretty good team around him thinking he’d be the guy,” Licht said, per Graziano. “When we decided to move on, it was the team we’d built around Jameis that Brady wanted to be a part of.”

2024 All-Breakout Team: Will Levis, Chase Brown, DeMarvion Overshown and more | PFF

SAFETY: CHAMARRI CONNER, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Conner was on the field for 20 or more snaps every week from Week 14 through the Super Bowl. He finished his rookie season with a 78.4 PFF coverage grade, ranking 13th at the position, and saw time both at safety and in the slot.

Quarterbacks poised to improve, regress in 2024: Patrick Mahomes’ numbers to rise; step back for Brock Purdy? | CBS Sports

Most likely to improve

Patrick Mahomes

As mentioned in the introduction, Mahomes took a step back with his regular-season production despite winning back-to-back Super Bowl MVP awards. He took home the league’s MVP award in 2022 after leading the NFL in passing touchdowns (41) and passing yards (5,250), but his production regressed in 2023 as he tossed under 30 touchdowns (27) and barely over 4,000 yards (4,183).

Much of that decline can be blamed on his supporting cast. The Chiefs’ wide receivers had the most drops (28) and the highest drop rate (12%) in the entire league in 2023, per Sportrader. As a result, Mahomes averaged a career-low 7.7 yards per pass attempt when targeting wide receivers in 2023 and had the worst touchdown to interception ratio in the NFL when throwing to wide receivers that were 10 or more yards downfield, just one touchdown to six interceptions.

Naturally, Kansas City added depth to its receiver room this offseason by selecting Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who ran a record 4.21 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, 28th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft and signing deep threat Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, a 2019 first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens. With those two on board in 2024, Mahomes’ deep passing game should return, leading to plenty of improvement.

9 NFL Players Who Will Live Up to Offseason Hype in 2024 | Bleacher Report

Marquise Brown, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

Wide receiver Marquise Brown wasn’t one of the biggest names to change teams this offseason, but he could have a major impact because of the situation in which he’s landing.

The Oklahoma product has signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he’ll now catch passes from Patrick Mahomes.

According to the star quarterback, Brown is poised to be a difference-maker.

“I’ve seen it the entire offseason, from working in Texas to here,” Mahomes told reporters. “…I’m giving him chances down the field, and he’s making the plays happen. The more plays he makes, the more we’ll continue to give him those chances. [He’s] a good addition to our offense.”

Had Brown landed with a different franchise, it would be easy to ignore the hype. He had just one 1,000-yard season with the Baltimore Ravens and largely underwhelmed after being traded to the Arizona Cardinals. His speedy skill set also overlaps a bit with rookie first-round pick Xavier Worthy.

However, Brown’s ability to stretch the field and create space on crossing routes, along with his veteran experience, will add new elements to the Kansas City offense in 2024.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid remains one of the league’s most creative play-callers, and he’ll know how to take full advantage of what the 27-year-old can offer.

Having Mahomes under center certainly won’t hurt. Neither will building trust with him during the offseason. Brown could be in line for a career year.

Chiefs trade idea: Rescuing a Panthers running back could pay dividends for KC | Arrowhead Addict

One name that is realistic to acquire and could give a nice boost to the Chiefs’ backfield is Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders. Sanders had a disappointing season last year for Carolina after signing a sizable four-year deal worth over $25 million as a free agent. Prior to that, Sanders rushed for over 3,700 yards with 21 touchdowns in four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Unfortunately, Sanders tallied a career-low 3.3 yards per carry last year for Carolina and failed to hit the 500 yards rushing mark for the first time in his career. As a result, Sanders has already been named a sneaky cut or trade candidate this offseason. Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports recently put out that Sanders could be a post-June 1 cut for Carolina to save money as he fights for backup carries with fellow Panthers teammates Chuba Hubbard and rookie Jonathan Brooks.

Around the NFL

Tom Brady inducted into Patriots Hall of Fame, with No. 12 retired | ESPN

In addition, Kraft said a statue of Brady measuring 12 feet tall will be unveiled during the 2024 season, something the franchise has never done before.

“Our goal was to create a once-in-a-lifetime ceremony for a one-in-a-kind player. I hope we accomplished that goal with a few firsts,” Kraft said.

Brady capped off the three-hour program with a rousing speech that was at times fiery, emotional, inspirational and humorous. He called it a “monumental moment” in his life, expressed his thanks to Kraft, and concluded by saying: “I am eternally grateful. I am Tom Brady. And I am a Patriot.”

Joe Burrow grapples with ‘football mortality’ as wrist recovers | ESPN

But as the injuries accumulate in his career, the fifth-year Cincinnati Bengals quarterback opened up about the mental aspect of continually recovering from significant injuries, with the wrist issue the latest one he has to overcome.

“Whenever the injuries start to stack up, your football mortality kind of comes into the back of your mind,” Burrow said after Tuesday’s mandatory minicamp. “So, that’s definitely something I’ve thought about and something I have had to fight through.”

Burrow said it was tough to put a percentage on where he is at as he continues to come back from surgery in December that repaired torn ligaments in his throwing wrist. However, Burrow indicated he’ll be “ready to go by the season.”

In his comments Tuesday, the quarterback who signed a five-year, $275 million extension last year maintained a message he has repeated throughout the offseason. As he prepares for the upcoming season and the start of training camp in late July, Burrow is trying to balance the intensity of his preparation with being rested for the start of the year.

Jets HC Robert Saleh on Aaron Rodgers’ minicamp absence: ‘There’s no issue’ | NFL.com

Saleh attempted to clear up any confusion on the matter of the team’s star QB after telling reporters on Tuesday that Rodgers’ absence was “unexcused.”

“Aaron and I are on the exact same page,” Saleh said on Wednesday, adding that he was aware of Rodgers’ plans. “There’s no issue between Aaron or his teammates, for that matter.

“We addressed it yesterday. It’s more of an issue for everyone outside the building than it is inside.”

The Jets also are dealing with the absence of pass rusher Haason Reddick, who wants a new contract. Under the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, both absent Jets players are subject to rolling fines for missing this week’s sessions.

NFL mandatory minicamp overreactions: Should Aaron Rodgers have been with Jets? Will Bengals sign both WRs? | CBS Sports

Bengals will sign Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to long-term deals

Overreaction or Reality: Overreaction

The Bengals received excellent news when Chase was present for mandatory minicamp, despite his previous absence and wanting a new contract. Of the 2020 and 2021 wide receivers, Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith each earned $25-plus million per year in their contract extensions. Chase will certainly top $30 million.

Cincinnati will make sure Chase is signed, but what about Higgins? The franchise tag of $21.8 million has been slapped on Higgins, but he hasn’t signed it yet in hopes of a long-term extension. Will the Bengals give him one or settle for an altered one-year deal before allowing him to test free agency?

With the inflating wide receiver market, it will be significantly harder to pay Higgins given the Bengals will have to sign Chase. Higgins also will likely seek to be paid amongst the top-10 wide receivers in the game.

The Bengals will have the cap space to pay both for 2025 and beyond, but Chase is the priority. Signing both is the challenge this offseason.

Rob Ryan: Maxx Crosby is the best defensive player in the 30 years I’ve coached | NBC Sports

“When you talk about Maxx Crosby, you’re talking about the best defensive player in the league. Probably in the history that I’ve ever seen. Now, I’ve only been around it 30 years, but I mean he’s that good,” Ryan said.

Ryan says that Crosby has a presence that makes his teammates better as well.

“Maxx makes everybody tougher. Maxx makes everybody better. Maxx makes everybody get tattoos. He’s just a badass,” Ryan said.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs News: Travis Kelce says Jared Wiley is further along than he was

It doesn’t take high definition to see how the first two fit into the equation to bolster the unit, but it isn’t as crystal clear for Wiley. The pass-catcher from TCU is entering a position room with future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce, fourth-year contributor Noah Gray and former second-round pick Irv Smith Jr., who is still only 25.

So, hearing the reviews from mandatory minicamp on Tuesday was significant. Kelce met with the media following practice, noting Wiley has impressed him.

“He has a lot of upside,” Kelce remarked of Wiley to reporters. “He’s very comfortable, a smart guy. He is a lot further along than I was as a rookie, in terms of understanding the offense and seeing the field.”

These plays from last season back up Kelce’s praise. Wiley merges his high-end athleticism with a feel for creating throwing windows with route angles or timing. On the second play, he cheats his route to best beat the rotating coverage — shades of what Kelce has made famous in recent seasons.

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