Chiefs Had Interest In Lucky Whitehead
- Before he was claimed by the Jets, other teams that expressed interest in Lucky Whitehead were the Colts, Chiefs, and Saints, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter) hears from one source. The Bears showed a little interest as well. Reading between the lines, it sounds like the Colts, Chiefs, and Saints may have placed waiver claims on Whitehead while the Bears were on the fence about it as Wednesday approached. Of course, after finishing with a 5-11 record last year, the Jets had higher waiver priority than most.
Michael Vick Working As Chiefs Intern
After expressing interest in a coaching career earlier year, former NFL quarterback Michael Vick has joined the Chiefs as a coaching intern, the club announced today.
“I would love to coach in the National Football League one day,” Vick told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com in May. “… At some point, I’d definitely love to help work with young quarterbacks and develop them and still compete, you know, with the team and with the coaches. It’s another way to chase a championship.
You know I’m not done. I’m not done by any means. You know I didn’t get the championship when I was playing, so, hey, maybe I’d get lucky one year, maybe fortunate enough to join the staff that may be good enough.”
The Chiefs are a logical starting point for Vick’s potential coaching career, as he enjoys a close relationship with head coach Andy Reid, who took a chance on Vick in Philadelphia following his release from prison. But it’s fair to wonder if Vick’s history with dogfighting will affect his chances of becoming a full-time coach. The NFL is quick to give second chances to talented players, but that level of forgiveness isn’t often extended to the coaching realm.
Vick, 37, confirmed this summer that he’s officially retired as an NFL player. He last played in 2015 as a member of the Steelers.
Reid Was Not Involved In Veach Promotion
- Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he was not involved in the evaluation process in promoting Brett Veach to GM (Twitter link via James Palmer of NFL.com). The Chiefs promoted the 39-year-old earlier this month, and reports indicated that while Veach will have control over the roster, he’ll ultimately work in tandem with his head coach.
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Brett Veach To Control Chiefs’ Roster
When the Chiefs promoted Brett Veach into the GM role, there were questions about exactly how much control he would have. On Monday, owner Clark Hunt clarified things a bit. 
Veach will have final say over the 53-man roster, Hunt tells reporters. He’ll work in tandem with coach Andy Reid just like John Dorsey did when he was in GM, but it appears that Veach is in the driver’s seat.
There has been speculation that Reid helped to push Dorsey out the door and Hunt acknowledged that he spoke with Reid before making the decision. He did not get into specifics about Reid’s input but, as expected, the move was not made without the coach being consulted first.
There was no one single event that caused the firing of Dorsey, Hunt explained, saying that it was based on an overall evaluation of his work. That means the team’s awkward parting of ways with wide receiver Jeremy Maclin was not the impetus for canning Dorsey – if Hunt is to be believed.
Hunt says his goal is for the Chiefs to win a Super Bowl in the next 3-4 years, meaning that expectations are high for the young GM.
Latest On Tamba Hali
- Tamba Hali‘s Twitter rant last night drew quite a bit of attention, but the Chiefs linebacker says he is not considering holding out and he has not been told he is not in the team’s 2017 plans. He said he simply wants to play more (Twitter link). Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star says (via Twitter) that Hali did address the matter internally back in January, and he was told by head coach Andy Reid to just “keep getting better.” That obviously did not sit well with Hali, who apparently stewed about it for some time before unleashing a bit last night.
Tamba Hali Has Issue With Role In K.C.
Entering his 12th season with the Chiefs, Tamba Hali‘s role might be closer to a part-time position when compared to his near-decade run as a consistent presence on Kansas City defenses. The team has Justin Houston healthy and Dee Ford back after a breakout season. Hali took to Twitter to address his status with the Chiefs, firing up a string of tweets shaped around his lack of usage in January’s divisional-round loss to the Steelers (Twitter links). The 33-year-old was not happy playing just seven plays and tweeted, “Am I needed in KC anymore?”
Hali added (on Twitter) he was told his minimized play was to preserve him for the playoffs, which is interesting considering the Chiefs were in an elimination game. But Ford and Houston were the team’s primary linebackers that night. Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star, noting the tweets’ authenticity, pointed out how the outside linebacker kept quiet about this for a while but has obviously been upset about his lack of playing time in the Chiefs’ biggest game in 13 years (Twitter links). Paylor adds (on Twitter) Hali is not believed to be upset about being tied to the Chiefs but wants a prominent role.
A 2006 first-round pick, Hali is now on his third Chiefs contract — a three-year, $21MM pact — and that deal being backloaded inflates his cap charge from $3.8MM in 2016 to $8.6MM this season. Kansas City incurring a dead-money penalty of $8.91MM in the event of a 2017 Hali release makes that almost certainly a non-starter for a team up against the cap. But in 2018, the Chiefs can cut Hali and save $7MM. Ford’s salary also rises north of $8MM in 2018 due to the Chiefs exercising his fifth-year option. A five-time Pro Bowler whom Pro Football Focus rated as a top outside linebacker as recently as 2015, Hali started in front of slower-developing Ford in 2014 and ’15 but ceded ground as last season progressed and Houston returned.
- The Chiefs’ ouster of John Dorsey and promotion of Brett Veach figures to give Andy Reid more power regarding personnel matters, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. Veach broke into the NFL with the Reid-era Eagles — as Reid’s personal assistant — in the 2000s and followed the coach to Kansas City in 2013.
Chiefs Sign Patrick Mahomes
The Chiefs have signed their first-round pick, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, reports Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). It’s a four-year deal worth a guaranteed $16.4MM, including a $10MM-plus signing bonus.
Mahomes, the 10th overall selection, went to the Chiefs after they paid a heavy price in a deal with the Bills to move up for him. Kansas City was originally in line to pick 27th, but then-general manager John Dorsey boldly packaged that choice with a third-rounder this year and a first-rounder in 2018 to go up 17 spots for Mahomes. In doing so, Dorsey surrendered a whopping 170 cents on the dollar, according to Chase Stuart of Football Perspective.
Formerly a star at Texas Tech, where he combined for 93 touchdowns, 29 interceptions and 11,252 yards from 2014-16, Mahomes will sit behind veteran Alex Smith initially. But if the Chiefs, who went to the playoffs for the third time in four tries under Smith in 2016, don’t take a step forward this season, Mahomes could grab the reins under center by 2018. The Chiefs have gone just 1-3 in the playoffs with Smith at the helm (they were one and done last winter after a 12-4, AFC West-winning campaign), and releasing him after the season would save the team $17MM of his $20.6MM cap hit in 2018 – the final year of his contract.
With Mahomes under contract, Solomon Thomas (49ers), Corey Davis (Titans), Jamal Adams (Jets), Gareon Conley (Raiders) and Jabrill Peppers (Browns) are the only members of this year’s first-round class who haven’t signed yet. Raiders second-round pick Obi Melifonwu also remains unsigned.
Offseason In Review: Kansas City Chiefs
Plenty changed in Kansas City since the Chiefs’ narrow divisional-round defeat. High-profile moves came after the Chiefs missed out on another opportunity to advance to an AFC championship game, a round the franchise hasn’t seen in 23 years.
The changes — severing ties with John Dorsey, cutting Jeremy Maclin, and drafting a first-round quarterback for the first time in 34 years — have the defending AFC West champions’ future in question. After being one of the top challengers for AFC supremacy this season, it’s tough to make a case the Chiefs are markedly improved for 2017.
Considering most of the moves the Chiefs made in previous offseasons were about immediate success, and they helped create a team on the rise over the past four years, the team took a bit of a different approach this offseason.
Notable signings:
- Eric Berry, S: Six years, $78MM. $29.8MM guaranteed. Had been assigned franchise tag.
- Bennie Logan, DT: One year, $8MM. $7.68MM guaranteed.
- Gavin Escobar, TE: One year, minimum salary benefit. $80K guaranteed.
- Mike Person, G: One year, minimum salary benefit. $50K guaranteed.
- Cairo Santos, K: One year, $1.797MM. Signed original round RFA tender.
- Albert Wilson, WR: One year, $1.797MM. Signed original round RFA tender.
- Donald Hawkins, OL: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Jarvis Jenkins, DL: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- C.J. Spiller, RB: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Cam Thomas, DT: One year, minimum salary benefit.
- Andrew Tiller, OL: One year, $690K.
- Josh Mauga, LB: Contract terms unknown.
- Steven Terrell, S: Contract terms unknown.
During an offseason that became known more for the men the Chiefs parted with than those they acquired, Kansas City did sign Berry to an extension at long last. Berry was attached to an old-CBA rookie contract until 2016, and he played last season on the franchise tag. But the Chiefs’ indecision on Berry last summer ended up costing them financially. The sides reportedly never got close on a deal by July 2016, leading to the tag season, but said campaign ended up being Berry’s best.
He came up with game-saving turnovers in road wins in Atlanta and Charlotte and helped the Chiefs to their first division title in six years. And with the marketplace changing in between Berry negotiations, thanks to the Cardinals’ landmark deal for Tyrann Mathieu in August of last year, Berry’s camp — representing one of only two active three-time first-team All-Pro safeties — could talk from a greater position of strength. Berry is now the highest-paid safety at $13MM AAV, and his deal will take him well into his 30s. The Chiefs continued their Dorsey-era style of backloading contracts, with Berry’s 2017 cap number sitting at $5MM. That jumps to $13MM in 2018 and $16.5MM in ’19.
Kansas City’s only notable March outside acquisition came in Logan, who will be the rare Philadelphia-to-Kansas City transplant that did not have an Andy Reid connection. Logan joined the Eagles as a third-rounder in 2013, months after Reid headed for western Missouri. Logan will take over starting nose tackle duties from Dontari Poe and return to the 3-4 scheme he played in for three seasons in Philly. Kansas City has used a 3-4 scheme since 2009, but Philadelphia switched to a 4-3 look last season that had Logan slightly out of position.
The Chiefs were up against the cap entering free agency again, limiting their ability to spend on multiple players. But for a third straight year, the team did walk away with a proven starter acquired. They signed Maclin in 2015 and Mitchell Schwartz last year despite limited funds. But this offseason, not much else transpired for the team during free agency’s premier month.
Veach Hire Does Not Change Alex Smith's Status With Team
It was former Chiefs GM John Dorsey who ultimately pulled the trigger on the team’s draft-day trade that allowed Kansas City to climb all the way up to the No. 10 overall spot and draft quarterback Patrick Mahomes. But now that Dorsey is out and Brett Veach is in, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report says it is fair to question what the new hire means for incumbent signal-caller Alex Smith.
But according to Miller, not much will change with respect to the team’s approach to Smith. After all, Veach has been with the Chiefs for the past four years, so it’s not as if he’s coming to Kansas City with a fresh take on the situation. Plus, Miller’s league sources all said effectively the same thing: “nothing changes in Kansas City while Andy Reid is the head coach.” As such, you can still expect the team to move on from Smith after the 2017 season — and save $17MM in the process — as long as Mahomes appears ready to assume control.
Chiefs Complied With Rooney Rule
The Chiefs did in fact interview a minority candidate for their general manager position — in compliance with the Rooney Rule — but that individual does not wish to be identified, tweets Jason Cole of Bleacher Report. As such, the Fritz Pollard Alliance approved of Kansas City’s GM search. “The Chiefs left it up to the individual candidates and their agents whether they wanted their names out there or not,” chairman John Wooten told Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. “But I can assure you that they complied. We are comfortable [with their interview process].”
Aside from Brett Veach, only three other contenders’ interviews were public knowledge: Seahawks co-director of player personnel Scott Fitterer, Titans director of player personnel Ryan Cowden, and Chiefs co-director of player personnel Mike Borgonzi. All personnel interview requests must be made to the league office, meaning the unnamed candidate may work in the media, according to to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who speculates ESPN commentator Louis Riddick — who was linked to the Kansas City vacancy — may have been the interviewee.