Chiefs DE Frank Clark Arrested Sunday Night
Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark was arrested in Los Angeles last night and charged with felony possession of a concealed firearm. The news was first reported by TMZ.com and has since been confirmed by the Los Angeles Police Department (to NFL.com).
[RELATED: Chiefs Rework Frank Clark’s Deal]
Clark was originally pulled over for a vehicle code violation. Officers noticed that a bag inside of the vehicle was holding an Uzi, and the NFL player was subsequently arrested. Clark was in police custody for more than 12 hours before posting $35K bond and being granted his release this afternoon.
Per NFL.com, Clark’s next court date is scheduled for October 18. The arrest could fall under the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy, which could lead to punishment for the veteran defender.
After spending the first four seasons of his career with the Seahawks, Clark joined the Chiefs via trade in 2019. Since joining Kansas City, the defensive lineman has earned a pair of Pro Bowl nods while collecting 14 sacks, 66 tackles, and 29 QB hits in 29 games (26 starts). Clark has also come up big during each of the Chiefs’ last two playoff runs, collecting eight sacks in six games. The 28-year-old reworked his deal earlier this offseason, providing the team some extra wiggle room while converting $5MM of his base salary into a signing bonus.
This Date In Transactions History: Chiefs Sign Andre Rison
If the current Chiefs run doubles as the most successful point in franchise history, the AFL stretch in the 1960s ranks second. But Kansas City carved out another championship window in the 1990s. The Chiefs booked seven playoff berths in the decade, and they made a big move to strengthen their Super Bowl hopes on this day 24 years ago.
On June 18, 1997, the Chiefs struck a deal with Andre Rison, a former perennial Pro Bowler who had bounced around the league in the mid-’90s. The accomplished wide receiver signed a two-year, $1.8MM contract, at a time when the salary cap was just $41.5MM. For one season, the Chiefs’ partnership with Rison proved crucial.
Once part of a trade that sent the No. 1 overall pick — Jeff George — to the Colts in 1990, Rison established himself as an elite wideout in Atlanta. In five Falcons seasons, the 1989 first-rounder made four Pro Bowls and totaled 56 touchdown catches. Amassed from 1990-94, those 56 TD grabs eclipsed all non-Jerry Rice NFLers by at least four in that span. However, free agency did not lead to a long-term stay elsewhere initially.
The Browns, Jaguars and Packers all cut Rison from 1996-97. Green Bay added the veteran as a midseason replacement for the injured Robert Brooks in 1996, and Rison caught two playoff TD passes from Brett Favre — the second of which a 54-yarder in Green Bay’s Super Bowl XXXI win. The Packers released Rison in March 1997, leading him to Missouri.
The Chiefs remade their passing attack that year, signing Elvis Grbac. While Brett Perriman, late-bloomer Joe Horn and then-rookie Tony Gonzalez were among Grbac’s aerial options that season, the Chiefs relied on a 30-year-old Rison in ’97. Only one Chiefs pass catcher topped 500 yards in 1997; Rison reached 1,092 on 72 receptions. Seven of those grabs went for touchdowns during a season that featured Grbac and future MVP Rich Gannon throwing Rison passes.
While the Chiefs lost in the divisional round, after going 13-3 and earning the AFC’s top seed, their Rison bet made a difference in the team’s second 13-3 season in three years. Despite the defense-powered Chiefs losing 14-10 to the eventual champion Broncos in their playoff opener, Rison’s 110 receiving yards led all players that day. The Michigan State alum made his fifth and final Pro Bowl in his first Chiefs season.
Rison scored a six-year, $15.5MM Chiefs extension in June 1998 but played only two years on that deal. A hamstring injury hampered him in 1998, and he was not productive in 15 games the following year. The Chiefs released Rison during the 2000 preseason. Rison concluded his career as a Raiders role player that year, hauling in six TD passes from Gannon on an Oakland team that advanced to the AFC championship game. Rison finished in the top seven in receptions, yards and touchdowns among pass catchers in the 1990s.
Chiefs Sign WR Darrius Shepherd, Cut OL Martinas Rankin
The Chiefs are swapping an offensive lineman for a wideout. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter) that the team has signed wide receiver Darrius Shepherd and released offensive lineman Martinas Rankin.
Shepherd, a 2019 undrafted free agent out of North Dakota State, spent the first two seasons of his career in Green Bay, where he appeared in 14 total games. The wideout finished his Packers career with six receptions for 47 yards and a pair of fumbles. The 25-year-old also contributed on special teams, returning 20 kickoffs for 374 yards.
The Chiefs certainly aren’t lacking for receivers; the team is currently rostering 15 players (including Shepherd) at the position. In other words, the latest acquisition’s best chance of seeing the field would probably be on special teams, although it’d be tough to knock off Mecole Hardman as the team’s top returner (not to mention Tyreek Hill waiting in the wings).
Rankin, a 2018 third-round pick by the Texans, was acquired by the Chiefs in the 2019 trade that sent Carlos Hyde to Houston. The lineman started five of his six games at left guard in 2019, but he was sidelined during Kansas City’s run to a championship. Rankin only saw time in one game in 2020, and he saw a limited number of special teams snaps during the 2020 postseason.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/14/21
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Reverted to IR: CB Stephen Guidry
Houston Texans
- Signed: LS Mitchell Fraboni
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: OL Wyatt Miller
San Francisco 49ers
- Reverted to IR: OL Justin Skule
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Will Sunderland
Vikings’ Bashaud Breeland Had Surgery
Cornerback Bashaud Breeland was on the free agent market for a while, finally inking a one-year deal worth up to $4MM with the Vikings earlier this month.
One reason for his delayed signing may have been that he underwent shoulder surgery shortly after playing in the Super Bowl with the Chiefs, the veteran corner revealed earlier this week, via Andrew Kramer of the Star Tribune. Kramer notes Breeland still remains sidelined, and although the Clemson product said he’s “on track,” he also said “doctors tell me when I’m ready to get on the field.” It sounds like he should be ready for the start of the season but will end up missing a good amount of practice time with his new team.
Interestingly, Breeland also said his original plan was to return to the Chiefs for a third season. Breeland said his “heart was sold” on returning to Kansas City, but a couple weeks after his visit to the Vikings’ facility Minnesota came in with a financial offer he couldn’t pass up.
Originally a fourth-round pick of Washington in 2014, Breeland started 11 games for the Chiefs last year after serving a four-game suspension to start the season. He’s started both of the Chiefs’ recent Super Bowl appearances, winning Super Bowl LIV with the team.
The Bears also expressed interest in him last month. After having a very youthful group of corners that often struggled last year, Mike Zimmer made overhauling the position a priority this offseason. In addition to signing Breeland, the team traded away former first-rounder Mike Hughes and signed Patrick Peterson.
In his seven-year career, Breeland has made 88 starts and racked up 81 passes defended to go with 14 interceptions.
Chiefs’ Kyle Long Suffers Knee Injury
4:25pm: Andy Reid said Thursday afternoon Long might need surgery on his latest injury. That said, Reid does not think the veteran blocker sustained ligament damage, per Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star (Twitter links). This update makes Long’s setback sound a bit more serious, but avoiding ligament damage would be key for his chances at being ready for his new team by Week 1.
9:44am: Chiefs guard Kyle Long suffered a lower leg injury that could keep him out of training camp (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport). Fortunately, it doesn’t appear to be too serious. There’s a chance that Long could be ready by Week 1, even if he’s forced to sit out much of training camp and the preseason. 
[RELATED: Chiefs’ Charvarius Ward Signs Second-Round Tender]
Long joined the defending AFC champs on a one-year deal worth up to $5MM in March. Previous to that, the 2013 first-round pick spent his entire seven-year career with the Bears, earning three Pro Bowl appearances and a second-team All-Pro nod in 2014. However, he dealt with a long list of injuries between 2016 and 2019, averaging only 7.5 games per season over that four-year span. After being limited to only four games in 2019, Long announced his retirement last offseason. The Bears subsequently declined his option.
Now, he’s set to make his NFL return, once he’s healthy. He’s just one piece of the Chiefs’ revamped offensive line, starting a few spots over from fellow guard Joe Thuney and big-ticket acquisition Orlando Brown.
Chiefs’ Charvarius Ward Signs Second-Round Tender
Charvarius Ward has officially signed his second-round tender (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Now, the Chiefs have the cornerback locked in for 2021 at a salary of ~$3.4MM. 
[RELATED: Chiefs Promote Mike Borgonzi To Asst. GM]
Ward joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent out of Middle Tennessee in 2018. After seeing time in 13 games as a rookie, Ward ended up starting 16 games in 2019 for the eventual Super Bowl champs. Ward finished that season with 74 tackles, ten passes defended, and two interceptions. He also added another nine tackles in three postseason games.
The 25-year-old started 13 of his 14 games in 2020, finishing the year with 51 tackles, one sack, and six passes defended. Then, he started in each of Kansas City’s three playoff games, collecting 18 tackles. Needless to say, the Chiefs didn’t want to let him get away. The second-round tender was enough to scare away would-be suitors, so he’ll return to KC and the starting lineup again this year.
Chiefs Promote Mike Borgonzi To Asst. GM
The Chiefs have promoted Mike Borgonzi to assistant GM, per a team press release. The club also elevated Brandt Tilis to Vice President of Football Operations and Ryan Poles to Executive Director of Player Personnel.
All three executives have been in the mix for GM jobs elsewhere. But, with Brett Veach installed as the Chiefs’ GM, that job won’t be available anytime soon.
The Panthers met with all three executives in this last cycle before ultimately landing on ex-Seahawks VP Scott Fitterer. It’s safe to say that they’ll garner consideration again in the 2022 cycle, but the Chiefs might be able to hang on to them for a while longer with these pay/title bumps.
Tilis has been a key cog in Chiefs contract matters since starting with them in 2010. Among his CV highlights: squeezing in extensions for Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones, and Travis Kelce to keep one of the NFL’s strongest teams in tact. Poles, 36 in September, has served as the assistant player personnel director since May 2018.
Chiefs Weren’t In Julio Jones Mix
The Chiefs were “never truly in” the Julio Jones sweepstakes, according to Peter Schrager of NFL.com (on Twitter). Like every team in the league, the Chiefs would have loved to have him, but it just didn’t make sense financially. Instead, Jones is en route to the Titans, who landed him on Sunday morning. 
[RELATED: Titans Trade For Julio Jones]
The Titans shipped a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 fourth-round pick to the Falcons for Jones. Meanwhile, the Falcons also sent their 2023 sixth-round pick to the Titans in the swap. That’s a far cry from the Falcons’ initial ask of a first-round pick, but that was the best they could do given Jones’ age (32) and contract.
The veteran is owed a $15.3MM base salary for 2021 and still has some guaranteed dollars for 2022. That would have been tough to swing for the Chiefs, who have less than $8MM to work with heading into ’21.
Needless to say, the Chiefs are already well-set on offense with Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Mecole Hardman in the fold. Jones would have been one heck of a replacement for Sammy Watkins, but it would have come at a great expense.
“If I could play alongside Julio Jones, that would be amazing,” Hill said recently (via FOX 4). “I used to be in high school when he was doing his thing at Alabama and I’ve been a fan ever since.”
The Chiefs have other plans for those dollars, including a 2022 extension for Orlando Brown. Meanwhile, Jones is said to be aiming for a new deal of his own.
The Ravens — who could have teamed Jones with Watkins — reached a similar conclusion, backing out of talks last week. Ditto for the Seahawks, who already traded their 2022 first-round pick for star safety Jamal Adams. The 49ers and Rams also had varying degrees of interest in the multiple-time Pro Bowler, but the Titans ultimately topped every other offer.
Chiefs Release LB Kamalei Correa
Less than a month after signing with the Chiefs, Kamalei Correa has been handed his walking papers. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that Kansas City has released the veteran linebacker.
The 27-year-old signed with the Chiefs in May after splitting the 2020 campaign between Tennessee and Jacksonville. He started the season with the Titans, but he was traded to the Jaguars in mid-October. He ultimately finished the season having seen time in nine games (six starts) with nine tackles and a pair of QB hits.
After spending the first two seasons of his career with the Ravens, the former second-round pick was traded to the Titans in 2018. He spent two-plus seasons in Tennessee, collecting 8.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss in 32 games.
Correa joined the Chiefs as a potential depth piece that could bounce around the front seven. Since the start of camp, the team has presumably liked what they’ve seen from their young pass rushers, including second-round pick Nick Bolton. This could also mean that Taco Charlton, who was limited to only seven games in 2020, is on the mend.