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Chiefs Extend ST Coordinator Dave Toub

February 16th, 2024 at 2:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Chiefs employ three coordinators who were once on the head coaching radar only to have settled in as veteran assistants. After extending Steve Spagnuolo earlier this week, the two-time reigning champions have locked down their special teams coordinator.

Dave Toub has signed a new deal with the Chiefs, the team announced. This will allow the longtime Andy Reid assistant to coach a 12th season with the team. Reid brought Toub to Missouri upon taking the job in 2013. His new deal will cover three years, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets.

Special teams coaches rarely find their way into HC consideration, John Harbaugh‘s 15-plus-year Ravens stay notwithstanding, but Toub was on that radar several years ago. The Broncos and Chargers met with him in 2017, and after the Colts’ Josh McDaniels choice fizzled a year later, Toub emerged on Indianapolis’ radar. None of those connections produced a hire, keeping one of the league’s top ST coaches in Kansas City.

The Chiefs checked in at 14th on Rick Gosselin’s annual special teams rankings in 2023. After being ranked last in that cumulative score in 2022, Kansas City came through with two special teams plays to make its Super Bowl LVII win possible. Skyy Moore‘s punt return late in the fourth quarter against the Bengals helped a gimpy Patrick Mahomes — with a notable assist from Joseph Ossai‘s ensuing late hit — do enough to move the Chiefs into field goal range in the 2022 AFC championship game. Kadarius Toney then set a Super Bowl record with a 65-yard punt return, setting up a walk-in Moore score in the fourth quarter against the Eagles.

Toub, 61, initially coached with Reid on the Eagles from 2001-03. He spent the following nine season as the Bears’ STC. The Chiefs now have Spagnuolo going into his sixth season as DC and Matt Nagy — who joined Spagnuolo in not being tied to any HC jobs this year — set for his fourth year (over two stints) as OC. With the Chiefs set to eye the first threepeat in the Super Bowl era, Reid and his top lieutenants will all be back for that push.

Assessing NFL’s OC Landscape

February 15th, 2024 at 8:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

This offseason showed the turnover that can take place at the offensive coordinator position. As a result of several decisions in January and February, the NFL no longer has an OC who has been in his current role for more than two seasons. Various firings and defections now have the 2022 batch of hires stationed as the longest-tenured OCs.

One of the longest-tenured coordinators in NFL history, Pete Carmichael is no longer with the Saints. The team moved on after 15 seasons, a stay that featured part-time play-calling duties. The Browns canned their four-year non-play-calling OC, Alex Van Pelt, while three-year play-callers Arthur Smith and Shane Waldron are relocating this winter. Brian Callahan‘s five-year gig as the Bengals’ non-play-calling OC booked him a top job.

The recent lean toward offense-oriented HCs took a bit of a hit of a hit this offseason, with five of the eight jobs going to defense-oriented leaders. Callahan, Dave Canales and Jim Harbaugh were the only offense-geared candidates hired during this cycle. But half the NFL will go into this season with a new OC. Following the Seahawks’ decision to hire ex-Washington (and, briefly, Alabama) staffer Ryan Grubb, here is how the NFL’s OC landscape looks:

2022 OC hires

  • Ben Johnson, Detroit Lions*
  • Mike Kafka, New York Giants*
  • Wes Phillips, Minnesota Vikings
  • Frank Smith, Miami Dolphins
  • Adam Stenavich, Green Bay Packers
  • Press Taylor, Jacksonville Jaguars*

Although this sextet now comprises the senior wing of offensive coordinators, this still marks each’s first gig as an NFL OC. Three of the six received HC interest this offseason.

Johnson’s status back in Detroit has been one of the offseason’s top storylines and a development the Commanders have not taken especially well. The two-year Lions OC was viewed as the frontrunner for the Washington job for weeks this offseason, and when team brass did not receive word about Johnson’s intent to stay in Detroit (thus, waiting until at least 2025 to make his long-expected HC move) until a Commanders contingent was en route to Detroit for a second interview, a back-and-forth about what exactly broke down took place. Johnson should be expected to remain a high-end HC candidate next year, but Dan Campbell will still have his services for 2024.

Kafka interviewed for the Seahawks’ HC job, and the Giants then blocked him from meeting with the NFC West team about its OC position. Rumblings about Kafka and Brian Daboll no longer being on great terms surfaced this year, with the latter yanking away play-calling duties — given to Kafka ahead of the 2022 season — at points in 2023. Taylor may also be on the hot seat with his team. Doug Pederson gave Taylor the call sheet last season, and Trevor Lawrence did not make the leap many expected. After a collapse left the Jaguars out of the playoffs, the team had begun to look into its offensive situation.

2023 OC hires

  • Jim Bob Cooter, Indianapolis Colts
  • Nathaniel Hackett, New York Jets*
  • Mike LaFleur, Los Angeles Rams
  • Joe Lombardi, Denver Broncos
  • Todd Monken, Baltimore Ravens*
  • Matt Nagy, Kansas City Chiefs
  • Drew Petzing, Arizona Cardinals*
  • Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas Cowboys
  • Bobby Slowik, Houston Texans*

Only nine of the 15 OCs hired in 2023 are still with their teams. One (Canales) moved up the ladder, while others were shown the door following that organization canning its head coach. The Eagles were the only team who hired an offensive coordinator last year to fire that staffer (Brian Johnson) after one season. Nick Sirianni fired both his coordinators following a wildly disappointing conclusion.

Hackett may also be drifting into deep water, given what transpired last year in New York. Rumblings of Robert Saleh — who is on the hottest seat among HCs — stripping some of his offensive play-caller’s responsibilities surfaced recently. This marks Hackett’s fourth chance to call plays in the NFL; the second-generation staffer did so for the Bills, Jaguars and Broncos prior to coming to New York. After the 2022 Broncos ranked last in scoring, the ’23 Jets ranked 31st in total offense. Hackett’s relationship with Aaron Rodgers has largely kept him in place, but 2024 may represent a last chance for the embattled coach.

Of this crop, Monken and Slowik were the only ones to receive HC interest. Neither emerged as a frontrunner for a position, though Slowik met with the Commanders twice. The Texans then gave their first-time play-caller a raise to stick around for C.J. Stroud‘s second season. Stroud’s remarkable progress figures to keep Slowik on the HC radar. Monken, who is in his third try as an NFL OC (after gigs in Tampa and Cleveland), just helped Lamar Jackson to his second MVP award. The former national championship-winning OC did not stick the landing — as Jackson struggled against the Chiefs — but he fared well on the whole last season.

Schottenheimer is on his fourth go-round as an OC, while Lombardi is on team No. 3. The latter’s job figures to be more secure, being tied to Sean Payton, compared to what is transpiring in Dallas. With the Cowboys having Mike McCarthy as the rare lame-duck HC, his coordinators probably should not get too comfortable.

2024 OC hires

  • Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills*
  • Liam Coen, Tampa Bay Buccaneers*
  • Ken Dorsey, Cleveland Browns
  • Luke Getsy, Las Vegas Raiders*
  • Ryan Grubb, Seattle Seahawks*
  • Nick Holz, Tennessee Titans
  • Kliff Kingsbury, Washington Commanders*
  • Klint Kubiak, New Orleans Saints*
  • Brad Idzik, Carolina Panthers
  • Kellen Moore, Philadelphia Eagles*
  • Dan Pitcher, Cincinnati Bengals
  • Zac Robinson, Atlanta Falcons*
  • Greg Roman, Los Angeles Chargers*
  • Arthur Smith, Pittsburgh Steelers*
  • Alex Van Pelt, New England Patriots*
  • Shane Waldron, Chicago Bears*

The 49ers do not employ a traditional OC; 16 of the 31 teams that do recently made a change. Most of the teams to add OCs this year, however, did so without employing play-calling coaches. This naturally raises the stakes for this year’s batch of hires.

Retreads became rather popular. Dorsey, Getsy, Moore, Van Pelt and Waldron were all OCs elsewhere (Buffalo, Chicago, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Seattle) last season. Smith will shift from calling the Falcons’ plays to running the show for the Steelers. Dorsey, Getsy and Van Pelt were fired; Moore and Waldron moved on after the Chargers and Seahawks respectively changed HCs. Moore and Smith will be calling plays for a third team; for Moore, this is three OC jobs in three years.

Coen, Kingsbury and Roman are back after a year away. Kingsbury became a popular name on the OC carousel, having coached Caleb Williams last season. This will be his second crack at an NFL play-calling gig, having been the Cardinals’ conductor throughout his HC tenure. This will be Coen’s first shot at calling plays in the pros; he was Sean McVay‘s non-play-calling assistant in 2022. Likely to become the Chargers’ play-caller, Roman will have a rare fourth chance to call plays in the NFL. He held that responsibility under Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco; following Harbaugh’s explosive 2015 49ers split, Roman moved to Buffalo and Baltimore to work under non-offense-oriented leaders.

Grubb, Holz, Idzik, Pitcher and Robinson represent this year’s first-timer contingent. Grubb has, however, called plays at the college level. Robinson is the latest McVay staffer to move into a play-calling post; he was a Rams assistant for five years. A host of teams had Robinson on their OC radar, but Raheem Morris brought his former L.A. coworker to Atlanta. Pitcher appeared in a few searches as well, but the Bengals made the expected move — after extending him last year — to give him Callahan’s old job.

* = denotes play-calling coordinator

Chiefs To Extend DC Steve Spagnuolo

February 14th, 2024 at 10:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Steve Spagnuolo has established himself as one of the best defensive coordinators in NFL history, picking up a fourth Super Bowl championship as an assistant Sunday night. Still off the HC radar, the Chiefs will take advantage.

The two-time reigning champions are giving Spagnuolo an extension, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Spagnuolo’s defense played a bigger role in helping the Chiefs rally to another championship. With Kansas City’s offense experiencing several speedbumps this season, the team depended on its defense. Spagnuolo will continue to lead that unit for the foreseeable future.

Spagnuolo, 64, coached in Super Bowl LVIII on an expiring contract, according to Rapoport. The former Rams HC has been in place under Andy Reid since 2019. That tenure resulted in the Chiefs elevating their defensive profile. Kansas City giving Patrick Mahomes a sturdy defensive safety net has allowed for the game’s premier active player to lead the team to three titles and four Super Bowl appearances. After a woeful tenure as a head coach in St. Louis, Spags’ tenure in western Missouri has bolstered his reputation as well.

Reid brought in Spagnuolo following the Chiefs’ shootout loss in the 2018 AFC championship game. Mahomes’ best statistical season ended with the quarterback on the sideline as the Patriots marched down for a game-winning touchdown in overtime. The Chiefs then fired six-year DC Bob Sutton and brought in Spagnuolo, who has regularly had his defense in top form late in the season.

This year brought Spagnuolo’s best work with the Chiefs. Although this success did not result in Tony Romo learning the correct pronunciation of the veteran assistant’s name, Spagnuolo’s defense ranked second in scoring and total yardage this season. An inconsistent Chiefs offense benefited from the team’s best defensive effort since perhaps the Derrick Thomas era.

While Spagnuolo has said on a few occasions he would pursue another HC job, that has not been in the cards. No team has requested an interview during Spagnuolo’s Chiefs years. The Rams hired the Super Bowl-winning Giants DC in 2009, but their modern-era nadir occurred soon after. In place as Rams HC for three seasons, Spagnuolo submitted 1-15 and 2-14 seasons in that span. A 7-9 slate ensued in between, but the Rams had seen enough by the end of the 2011 slate. Spagnuolo, who won his first ring as part of the 2007 Giants, returned to the DC level soon after. Finishing the 2017 season as the Giants’ interim HC, Spags landed the Chiefs gig. But HC interest has eluded the accomplished defensive play-caller.

The Chiefs held the 49ers to three field goals in their latest Super Bowl win. While Kansas City’s offense was far from dominant, its defense had done enough to keep the deficit at one score late in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs have questions regarding top defensive pieces Chris Jones and L’Jarius Sneed. Although the team wants to retain both, each sits weeks away from free agency. The Chiefs having Spagnuolo locked in will stand to help if they lose top personnel soon.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/14/24

February 14th, 2024 at 8:44pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Wednesday’s reserve/futures deals:

Kansas City Chiefs

San Francisco 49ers

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/13/24

February 13th, 2024 at 7:31pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s reserve/futures deals:

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

San Francisco 49ers

Oruwariye spent much of the 2023 season on the Jaguars practice squad, with the defensive back getting into just one game. The former fifth-round pick has more experience than your standard reserve/futures contract, as Oruwariye started 29 games for the Lions between 2020 and 2021. That latter season was one of his strongest, as he finished with 57 tackles, 11 passes defended, and six interceptions.

Chiefs G Nick Allegretti Tears UCL

February 13th, 2024 at 4:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

The only offensive lineman in place for each of the Chiefs’ three Patrick Mahomes-era Super Bowl championships, Nick Allegretti received a start Sunday night due to Joe Thuney‘s pectoral injury. Kansas City’s left guard sub did not make it out of Super Bowl LVIII unscathed.

Allegretti finished out his fifth season with the Chiefs with a torn UCL in his elbow. The team’s top backup O-lineman suffered the tear in the second quarter against the 49ers, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, but played all 79 Chiefs offensive snaps during the team’s overtime win.

[RELATED: Chiefs Hope To Re-Sign Chris Jones, L’Jarius Sneed]

An MRI Tuesday revealed Allegretti sustained a full tear, Pelissero adds. It is not known if Thuney will need surgery to repair his pec injury, but Allegretti is undoubtedly set to go under the knife due to this elbow malady. Allegretti played out a one-year, $2.58MM deal this season. The UCL tear will deal a blow to the veteran spot starter’s hopes of parlaying this season into a more lucrative contract in free agency.

A 2019 seventh-round pick, Allegretti worked as a backup behind Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Andrew Wylie as a rookie before being called upon to start 12 games (counting three playoff tilts) in 2020. Duvernay-Tardif opted out due to COVID-19 concerns that year, with the doctor returning to his native Canada to help out amid the pandemic, and the Chiefs entered Super Bowl LV without both tackles (Eric Fisher, Mitchell Schwartz). The Buccaneers’ onslaught on Mahomes that night prompted the Chiefs to overhaul their O-line, but they kept Allegretti — a guard starter against Tampa Bay during a blowout loss — on his rookie deal through 2022. They then re-signed him in March.

The Chiefs have Thuney and right guard Trey Smith under contract for 2024; the latter is extension-eligible now. It would make sense for the two-time reigning champions to keep Allegretti in place as a swingman, but it will be interesting to see if the 27-year-old blocker commands a notable market despite this injury. Wylie used Super Bowl LVII as a springboard to a three-year, $24MM Commanders deal, though he has more starting experience than his former teammate. Allegretti, an Illinois alum, will enter free agency with 18 career starts — including two in this year’s postseason.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid To Return In 2024

February 12th, 2024 at 10:30am CST by Rory Parks

FEBRUARY 12: When speaking after Sunday’s victory, Reid confirmed he will indeed remain in place for 2024. As he foreshadowed last month, tight end Travis Kelce also stated he will play a 12th campaign in Kansas City, which comes as little surprise. Reid, Kelce and Co. are certainly well-positioned to contend for a third straight Super Bowl next season as they aim to continue building their respective legacies.

FEBRUARY 11: Andy Reid retirement rumors are becoming something of an annual tradition. Prior to Super Bowl LVII last February, the Chiefs’ head coach was non-committal about his future, and we heard just last month that the team had a potential Reid retirement on its radar.

However, ESPN’s Dan Graziano’s sources say they would be surprised if Reid walked away (subscription required). Now 65, Reid said in July 2020 that he would be open to coaching into his 70s, and at that time, quarterback Patrick Mahomes said Reid told him that he plans on remaining with KC for the duration of Mahomes’ thru-2031 contract.

In July 2020, Reid and Mahomes were coming off their first AFC championship and first Super Bowl victory. Since then, they have won three more AFC titles and one more Lombardi Trophy, and they will have the chance to secure their third Super Bowl ring today. Their run to Super Bowl LVIII has been perhaps their most impressive championship pursuit yet, as the offense rarely looked like its usual explosive self throughout the 2023 regular season. A top-flight defense, coupled with just enough flashes of brilliance from Mahomes — who muddled through the worst statistical season of his career — was ultimately enough to will the Chiefs to yet another title game.

Graziano does expect the Chiefs to address their HC’s contract this offseason. The belief is that Reid is presently earning $12MM per year, while AFC West rivals Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh earn (or will earn) salaries of $17MM and $16MM, respectively. Given Reid’s tremendous success during his Kansas City tenure — he has a 128-51 regular season record and a 15-7 playoff mark to go along with his two Super Bowl wins — it stands to reason that he should not be the third-highest-paid coach in his own division.

Of course, when Reid joined the Chiefs in 2013, he did so with a reputation as an offensive mastermind and a terrific head coach who was perhaps not quite good enough to win a championship. During his stint as the Eagles’ HC from 1999-2012, Reid guided Philadelphia to the NFC championship five times but advanced to the Super Bowl just once, and that appearance ended with a difficult loss to the Patriots. After his club failed to qualify for the playoffs at all in 2011 and 2012, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie had run out of patience, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer recalls.

Reid’s contract with Philadelphia was not renewed following the 2012 campaign, but if he had stayed, Reid likely would have been forced to cede his personnel authority to Howie Roseman, who had become the club’s general manager several years prior. Obviously, the change of scenery (along with the drafting of Mahomes) ultimately proved to be the right call for Reid, though the Eagles — who won their first Super Bowl at the end of the 2017 season and who nearly toppled Reid’s Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII last year — also found some success in their post-Reid era.

Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

February 12th, 2024 at 8:58am CST by Adam La Rose

With Super Bowl LVIII in the books, the 2023 campaign has come to a close. Teams outside Kansas City and San Francisco had already turned their attention to the offseason well before Sunday’s game, of course.

Regular season standings determine the order for the top 18 picks, so they have been known since the conclusion of Week 18. For the second straight year, the Bears face the question of dealing away the top selection and starting over at quarterback or re-committing to Justin Fields. Expectations still point toward Caleb Williams heading to Chicago, although the Bears will not move the No. 1 pick at a discounted price.

With the Commanders also in position to add a signal-caller second overall, the Patriots and Cardinals will be worth watching closely. New England will be in the market for a QB, but it may not come via the team’s top selection. Arizona’s position could also be a trade-up target for teams seeking a quarterback addition. This year’s class is expected to be dominated by blue-chip prospects under center, as well as at wide receiver and offensive tackle.

The final 14 spots in the draft order are filled by postseason results. The Chiefs find themselves in familiar territory picking at or near the end of the first-round order for the fourth time in the past five years following another Super Bowl appearance. The team has a mixed track record with its selections in that regard, but another impact rookie would of course help its bid to sustain its impressive run.

While a number of selections will no doubt be swapped between now and draft day, here is the full 2024 first-round order:

  1. Chicago Bears (via Panthers)
  2. Washington Commanders: 4-13
  3. New England Patriots: 4-13
  4. Arizona Cardinals: 4-13
  5. Los Angeles Chargers: 5-12
  6. New York Giants: 6-11
  7. Tennessee Titans: 6-11
  8. Atlanta Falcons: 7-10
  9. Chicago Bears: 7-10
  10. New York Jets: 7-10
  11. Minnesota Vikings: 7-10
  12. Denver Broncos: 8-9
  13. Las Vegas Raiders: 8-9
  14. New Orleans Saints: 9-8
  15. Indianapolis Colts: 9-8
  16. Seattle Seahawks: 9-8
  17. Jacksonville Jaguars: 9-8
  18. Cincinnati Bengals: 9-8
  19. Los Angeles Rams: 10-7
  20. Pittsburgh Steelers: 10-7
  21. Miami Dolphins: 11-6
  22. Philadelphia Eagles: 11-6
  23. Houston Texans (via Browns)
  24. Dallas Cowboys: 12-5
  25. Green Bay Packers: 9-8
  26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 9-8
  27. Arizona Cardinals (via Texans)
  28. Buffalo Bills: 11-6
  29. Detroit Lions: 12-5
  30. Baltimore Ravens: 13-4
  31. San Francisco 49ers: 12-5
  32. Kansas City Chiefs: 11-6

Chiefs Win Super Bowl LVIII In OT Classic

February 11th, 2024 at 9:48pm CST by Ely Allen

The 2023 NFL season has officially come to a close. The Kansas City Chiefs are your Super Bowl LVIII champions. It took nearly every second of the NFL’s second-ever overtime period in a Super Bowl, but the Chiefs have established themselves as a dynasty under head coach Andy Reid and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. In five quarters, Kansas City outdueled the NFC’s No. 1-seeded 49ers two weeks after dispatching the AFC’s top-seeded Ravens.

Defense featured heavily early in this year’s season finale, with two drives ending in fumbles in the first half and the second half opening with Mahomes’ first postseason interception since the team’s 2021 AFC championship game loss to the Bengals. Both teams were able to shrug off the slow start of a 13-point first half by turning it on for a back-and-forth 25-point second half.

In Super Bowl LVIII, we got to witness the league’s shiny new playoff overtime rules for the very first time. Following the efforts of Frank Reich and Jon Ferrari, among several others, the NFL changed its longstanding sudden-death overtime rules following a shootout playoff game between the Chiefs and Bills. After a back-and-forth divisional-round matchup in 2021, the Chiefs drove down the field on the first overtime possession, scoring a touchdown and ending the game to prevent the Bills from touching the ball. The new rules allow for each team to possess the ball once, regardless of whether or not the first team scores a touchdown. The Chiefs would not need the benefit of that rule tonight, though, stopping the 49ers on the 5-yard line and forcing a field goal before driving down the field for the game-winning touchdown.

Despite the seeming dominance of the back-to-back Super Bowl champions, this was a year of overcoming in Kansas City. Earning the AFC’s No. 3 seed after finishing with an 11-6 record, the Chiefs sputtered through an uneven regular season — one that started with star defensive tackle Chris Jones staging a holdout in search of a new contract. The veteran defender went as far as to sit out the team’s season opener, a loss to the Lions. Less than a week later, the Chiefs rewarded Jones with a reworked deal, keeping him in place for the 2023 season. The team also had to overcome what seemed to be a drop off in receiving talent as the Chiefs led the league with 44 total dropped passes.

Kansas City also saw a number of key contributors from their previous Super Bowl run depart in the offseason. Starting tackles Andrew Wylie and Orlando Brown Jr.. would depart in free agency, as would key wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman. New tackles Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith would hit some bumps early on in the road but would eventually become the anchors of a Super Bowl-winning offensive line that faced off against one of the NFL’s most talent-laden defensive lines. Key rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice filled some holes in the offense nicely en route to earning a few Offensive Rookie of the Year votes, and Hardman found his way back to Missouri via trade.

Hardman’s return to the Chiefs did not produce much of consequence during the regular season, but it proved crucial tonight. While star tight end Travis Kelce did his usual lion’s share of the work, catching nine of 10 targets for 93 yards, Hardman came up with two of the biggest catches of the game: a 52-yard bomb that would go for naught due to an Isiah Pacheco fumble and the game-winning 3-yard overtime grab in the end zone.

The 49ers played their game plan, utilizing quarterback Brock Purdy to spread the ball out to their best playmakers. Star running back Christian McCaffrey accounted for 160 yards and a touchdown while wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel drew a healthy share of targets, as well. Jauan Jennings, usually playing in the shadow of Aiyuk and Samuel, got to steal to spotlight for a stretch, catching Purdy’s only touchdown pass and throwing one of his own in a trick play to McCaffrey.

Special teams played a crucial role in the NFL’s biggest of game of the year, showcasing how important it is to be efficient in all three phases of the game. Tonight saw the same record broken twice as rookie 49ers kicker Jake Moody opened up the scoring with a 55-yard field goal, the longest ever in a Super Bowl. He would hold that claim for only a short time, though, as Harrison Butker broke Moody’s record with a 57-yarder with five minutes to go in the third quarter. In addition to those big legs, the 49ers saw former Chiefs wide receiver Chris Conley make two big plays on punt coverage, pinning his former team on the two-yard line once and making a big tackle on another. The Chiefs would get their own big plays, recovering a punt that would hit the leg of a 49ers blocker for a turnover and blocking an extra point that would ultimately help them to tie the game and win in overtime.

In the end, we saw a game for the record books. By the game clock, Super LVIII was the longest in NFL history, using all but three seconds of the first overtime period. We saw Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo become the NFL’s first ever offensive or defensive coordinator to win four Super Bowls. We also saw the Chiefs become the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since the Patriots did it in the ’03 and ’04 seasons. And, we saw Kansas City appear in its fourth Super Bowl in five seasons and win its third of those four. Those accomplishments, paired with eight straight AFC West titles and six straight appearances in the AFC Championship Game, have solidified this era of Chiefs football as a dynasty.

Though little doubt existed, Mahomes earned Super Bowl LVIII MVP honors — his third such achivement. Despite a slow start and early struggles, Mahomes would complete 74 percent of his pass attempts for 333 yards and two touchdowns. He also led his team in rushing with 66 yards on nine dashes. After losing Tyreek Hill, Smith-Schuster and other trusty targets, Mahomes has continued to lead his team to the league’s greatest heights. Make no mistake, football is a team sport, and the Chiefs have many great players, but it almost always takes a top-tier quarterback to win a Super Bowl. Mahomes has made it clear: he is that man.

There’s plenty to look forward to as we turn the page to the 2024 NFL season. A number of key Chiefs players — cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, safety Mike Edwards, linebacker Willie Gay Jr., Smith, and Jones — will all be heading toward free agency. While the Chiefs want to re-sign both Jones and Sneed, GM Brett Veach acknowledged that will be difficult. Jones, one of the best defenders in Chiefs history, could command a $30MM-per-year contract on the open market; Kansas City was hesitant to authorize that last year. Many have questioned a potential Reid retirement, as well. Also, the Chiefs will have the 32nd pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft coming up this April.

For now, though, NFL fans can take a breath and relax. The Chiefs will bask in the glory of the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl title and get to work on earning the elusive threepeat. The rest of the league will get back to work in trying to figure out how to topple the king of the mountain.

From everyone at Pro Football Rumors, thanks for a memorable 2023 NFL season, and we’ll see you tomorrow with all the latest on news and transactions throughout the NFL.

Final Transactions Before Super Bowl LVIII

February 11th, 2024 at 1:30pm CST by Ely Allen

FEBRUARY 11: McKinnon is a game time decision, but NFL Network’s James Palmer reports he is expected to play. Sunday’s contest would represent his first action since Week 14, but it would also mark an impressive recovery in relatively short order from his core muscle surgery. McKinnon is a pending free agent, and a strong performance would help his market on another Chiefs deal or one with a new team.

FEBRUARY 10: With the NFL’s season finale taking place tomorrow night, both participants have made their roster moves in anticipation of the biggest game of the year. The 49ers‘ moves are simple as they choose to promote defensive tackles Alex Barrett and T.Y. McGill as standard gameday elevations, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. The Chiefs will make an elevation, as well, while also choosing to swap out an active roster player for a player off of injured reserve.

[Poll: Who Will Win Super Bowl LVIII?]

The Chiefs standard gameday practice squad elevation will once again be nose tackle Mike Pennel, who has been activated for each of Kansas City’s three playoff victories thus far. In the past, Pennel has been joined by practice squad cornerback Keith Taylor or defensive tackle Matt Dickerson, but it appears Pennel will be the lone practice squad defender activated for tomorrow.

As for the active roster addition, the Chiefs have made the move to officially activate running back Jerick McKinnon off of IR. The veteran rusher has mostly been a non-factor in the Chiefs offense this year but has served a role as the team’s backup pass-catching back. Despite the activation, McKinnon is still listed as questionable going into Sunday night’s game. In order to make room for McKinnon on the active roster, the Chiefs placed All-Pro guard Joe Thuney on IR. Thuney’s status was already known, so clearing him from the active roster should have little consequence at this point.

For San Francisco, Barrett and McGill are expected to be among the seven players listed as inactive for the big game. While this may make the elevations seem trivial, it’s the 49ers way of rewarding the reserve defenders. Elevating Barrett and McGill will provide the two with an additional playoff paycheck before the season ends.

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