Chiefs Officially Decline Nick Foles’ Option
As expected, the Chiefs officially declined Nick Foles‘ option today, making him a free agent (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL.com). If the Eagles move Chase Daniel, he adds, a return to the Eagles should not be ruled out. 
The Eagles missed out on one nostalgia opportunity when DeSean Jackson signed with the Buccaneers, but they could bring back a familiar face in Foles. Daniel, reportedly, has been garnering trade interest for the last couple of weeks. Foles could be then be the new guy to serve as the backup and mentor for Carson Wentz. Foles had his breakout year in 2013 under Chip Kelly in Philadelphia, but he has yet to have another year in that mold.
Foles, at worst, could be a solid backup somewhere and could maybe serve as a one-year transitional option for a QB-needy and cash-strapped club (Jets, we’re looking at you). Foles’ declined option was for $6.4MM and it’s a safe bet that he’ll make less on his next deal.
Last year, Foles appeared in three games and got one start while Alex Smith was sidelined. In that limited sample, he completed 65.5% of his passes while throwing three touchdowns and zero interceptions.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/8/17
Unrestricted free agent news will obviously dominate the day, but several clubs also had to make decisions on whether to offer tenders to restricted and exclusive rights free agents. All RFA tenders listed are original round/right of first refusal (worth $1.797MM), and all links go to Twitter:
RFAs:
Tendered:
- Chiefs — K Cairo Santos (per Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star, on Twitter)
- Raiders — DE Denico Autry (via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, on Twitter)
- Ravens — G Ryan Jensen (via Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun, on Twitter)
- Redskins — LB William Compton
Non-Tendered:
- Titans — RB Antonio Andrews, LB Justin Staples, TE Phillip Supernaw (via Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com)
ERFAs:
Tendered:
- Dolphins — TE Thomas Duarte, LB Mike Hull, CB Lafayette Pitts, C/G Anthony Steen
- Falcons — CB Ricardo Allen, G/DT Ben Garland, S Akeem King (per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, on Twitter)
- Lions — DE Brandon Copeland, DE Kerry Hyder, WR T.J. Jones (per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, via Twitter)
Chiefs Give Daniel Sorensen Second-Round Tender
The Chiefs will protect their latest safety find in Daniel Sorensen. They plan to apply a second-round tender to the fourth-year safety, Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star reports (on Twitter).
This means Sorensen’s salary will jump from $600K to $2.74MM. The Chiefs have now made significant salary news regarding two safeties, but their 2017 cap will actually be burdened less by the position due to Eric Berry‘s extension. Berry took up nearly $11MM of Kansas City’s cap sheet in 2016 while playing on the franchise tag.
As for Sorensen, he will see a raise in advance of his contract year. Due to be a UFA in 2018, Sorensen served as a sub-package player for the Chiefs, who lost both Tyvon Branch (in free agency) and Husain Abdullah (to retirement) after the 2015 season. A 27-year-old ex-UDFA out of BYU, Sorensen played in 16 regular-season games last year for K.C. and made a steady statistical impact, recording 54 tackles, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. Sorensen added a defensive touchdown as well. He joined Berry and Ron Parker on passing downs, helping the Chiefs’ young cornerback corps match up against offenses’ receiving sets.
Kansas City has continued to churn out production from its Berry complements at safety under Andy Reid and DC Bob Sutton. Quentin Demps, Kurt Coleman and Branch delivered quality work in Kansas City before moving on, and Parker earned a lucrative Chiefs extension after thriving as a converted cornerback. Sorensen figures to have a key role again on a veteran-laden 2017 K.C. defense.
Demetrius Harris Arrested On Felony Charge
- Chiefs tight end Demetrius Harris was arrested for felony possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets. A converted basketball player, Harris saw his role increase last season. The third-year pass-catcher saw 476 snaps and caught 17 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown, but Pro Football Focus graded him as its worst full-time tight end.
Chiefs Sign Four To Futures Deals
The Chiefs have signed four players to reserve/futures deals, the club announced today. These contracts will take effect when the new league year begins on Thursday:
- Montori Hughes, DL
- Josh James, T
- Will Ratelle, FB
- Julian Wilson, DB
Of the four players listed above, Hughes is the only with NFL experience. The former fifth-round pick appeared in 16 games during the 2013-14 seasons with the Colts, then played in nine games over the past two years with the Giants. All told, the 27-yar-old Hughes has managed 17 tackles, two fumble recoveries, and one pass defensed.
In other Kansas City news, the Chiefs are expected to tender restricted free agent safety Daniel Sorensen, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. At present, it’s unclear at what level Sorensen will be tendered.
Chiefs HC, Ownership Support Alex Smith
While previous reports have indicated that the Chiefs could look for an upgrade at quarterback, NFL Network’s James Palmer says that may not be the case. The pundit tweets that Chiefs ownership and head coach Andy Reid have been “backing” Alex Smith as their starting quarterback in 2017. Meanwhile, Palmer notes that the organization is not interested in Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.
Smith has compiled a 41-20 record during his four seasons in Kansas City, but he’s yet to advance his team past the divisional round. 2016 was arguably the best season of the veteran’s career, as he completed 67.1-percent of his passes for 3,502 yards, 15 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
Romo has only played five games over the past two seasons. His last healthy season came in 2014, when he completed 69.9-percent of his passes for 3,705 yards, 34 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Previous reports have also linked the Chiefs to Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
If the team were to add a replacement, they’d still need to find a taker for Smith. Previous reports indicated that in this scenario, it’d be more likely that the team releases the 32-year-old. The Chiefs would save $9.7MM by cutting the veteran, or $13.3MM by designating him as a post-June 1 release.
Chiefs Notes: Berry, Duvernay-Tardif
- We have additional details on Eric Berry’s six-year, $78MM deal with the Chiefs, courtesy of Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. Berry’s $20MM signing bonus is prorated through 2021, meaning the Chiefs could not save real cap room by cutting him until 2019. If that were to happen, they’d save about $4.5MM in space. As previously reported, the deal includes $40MM in guarantees, including a $20MM signing bonus. He’ll earn $30MM over the first two years of the new pact. The deal is the most lucrative ever given to a safety.
- The Chiefs have a similar timeline on Laurent Duvernay-Tardif‘s extension, should they choose to bail on the deal, Paylor writes. Kansas City could save about $2.2MM in cap space by cutting the guard in 2019. The Canadian doctor-in-training inked his five-year, $41.25MM extension with KC late last month.
Chiefs Hire Defensive Assistant
- The Chiefs added another assistant coach, bringing first-timer Terry Brandon into the fold. He will work as a defensive assistant, Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star reports. Brandon will make quite the jump, moving from graduate assistant at Bethune-Cookman to a job as an NFL staffer.
Chiefs Set For Quiet Free Agency
- After re-signing safety Eric Berry and guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to mega-deals this week, Chiefs general manager John Dorsey has told people at the combine that he won’t dip into free agency. If true, that could take the Chiefs out of the running to re-sign defensive tackle Dontari Poe.
[SOURCE LINK]
Details On Laurent Duvernay-Tardif's Contract
- Chiefs guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif‘s new deal includes a $10MM signing bonus and $14MM fully guaranteed at signing, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).