The latest
At the time an interim head coach, Pierce showed his team footage ranging from UFC fights to Muhammad Ali closing out boxing matches, something the Raiders had failed to do against the Chiefs a month prior despite opening up a 14-0 lead.
He also borrowed from basketball and the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons to get his point across, introducing an ingredient that’ll continue to factor into Pierce’s Chief-dethroning recipe now that he’s the full-time head coach.
“We’ve got the Jordan rules and what I’m calling from now on as long as I’m here, the Patrick Mahomes rules,” Pierce said. “So you remember when Jordan was going through it with the Pistons, all those guys in the ‘80s before he became Michael Jordan, Air Jordan, the Pistons used to whoop his ass. Any time he came to the hole? Elbows, feeling him, love taps. We touched him. We’re in the head, mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, I’m touching you. So, I showed those guys Jordan getting his ass whooped.”
What resulted was a bruising victory in line with the spirit of the Raiders, one that seemingly had the Chiefs reeling after four losses in their last six games.
Chiefs’ Nick Bolton fined for Super Bowl horse-collar tackle | Reuters
The NFL fined Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton $8,238 for his horse-collar tackle of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy in Super Bowl LVIII.
The incident drew a 15-yard penalty in the second quarter of the Chiefs’ 25-22 overtime victory in Las Vegas on Feb. 11.
Bolton’s fine, confirmed on Monday, was the only one issued for an infraction committed in that game. Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed drew a personal foul for unnecessary roughness but was not fined.
Chiefs’ Biggest Keys To Having Successful NFL Offseason | Bleacher Report
Cut Kadarius Toney
It feels like Kadarius Toney’s time in Kansas City is up.
The former New York Giants wide receiver made a handful of critical mistakes this season and he did not play a role in the postseason run.
The Chiefs owe Toney $2.5 million for the 2024 season, but they can’t justify paying him that much given the litany of errors in his time with the franchise.
Justin Watson, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Skyy Moore are all worth keeping over Toney, and if a new wide receiver enters the depth chart, there is no guarantee Toney will make the Week 1 roster.
The Chiefs should allow Toney to find a fresh start somewhere else instead of dealing with the headaches that the player causes for another season.
Chiefs’ offseason to-do list starts with L’Jarius Sneed and Chris Jones | The Athletic
5. Sign Nick Bolton to an extension before camp
A major subplot once free agency and the draft conclude is whether the Chiefs can extend their top 2021 draft pick before he starts the final year of his rookie contract. Bolton is the Chiefs’ green-dot defender — the one who communicates with the sideline through his helmet — and he recorded the franchise’s most tackles in a single season in 2022 with 180. Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has also called Bolton one of the most intelligent defenders he has coached in his 25 years in the NFL.
Even before free agency starts, the Chiefs appear to be losing starting linebacker Willie Gay, who said goodbye to fans through his X (formerly Twitter) account.
“Love you FOREVER Kansas City!!!” Gay wrote. “JUICEMAN OUT.”
2024 NFL Mock Draft: Latest Two-Round Predictions As Combine Nears | The 33rd Team
32. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
KEON COLEMAN, WR, FLORIDA STATE
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 215 pounds
Class: Junior
Fit: The Kansas City Chiefs decided to ignore wide receivers in Round 1 in the 2023 draft, and it worked out well. They grabbed Rashee Rice in Round 2, and he went on to lead their receivers in receptions, yards and touchdowns. But the Chiefs need another receiver who can win on the outside and down the field. Keon Coleman isn’t a perfect fit because he needs to develop as a route runner, but his size and ball skills would give Patrick Mahomes a new type of target in this offense.
Round 1 – Pick 31
Bralen Trice EDGE
WASHINGTON • JR • 6’4” / 274 LBS
Three of the 49ers’ top-four edge rushers are set to become free agents, leaving Nick Bosa as the only proven pass rusher for the reigning NFC champions. San Francisco fixes that by adding Bralen Trice, who racked up 16 sacks over the past two seasons at Washington.
2024 NFL Free Agent Rankings: Top 200 players set to enter free agency | PFF
10. CB L’JARIUS SNEED, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
Sneed was a fixture out wide in 2023 after lining up primarily in the slot over his first three seasons, and he held up quite well in several tough matchups. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo asks a lot of his cornerbacks, and Sneed is sticky in coverage, getting into receivers’ hip pockets and becoming very hard to shake with lateral movement or in the air at the catch point.
Sneed could stand to cut down on penalties, but his aggressive nature would be welcome on many teams, and his inside-outside versatility is a nice benefit, as well.
Around the NFL
The Bears still “really like” Fields as a QB prospect three years after drafting him No. 11 overall, according to Breer, but they are “meeting over the next couple weeks to finalize plans” at the position. Many expect the team to use this year’s No. 1 overall selection on a consensus top QB prospect like USC’s Caleb Williams, effectively resetting the position (and its contract situation).
If the Bears intend to replace Fields at the top of the draft, it stands to reason they’ll look to trade their current starter sooner rather than later, in order to capitalize on the pre-draft QB market. While trades cannot be finalized until March 13, the official start of the 2024 league year, terms of an agreement can be negotiated and preliminarily accepted at any point between now and then.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Ranking the Chiefs’ top 5 positions of need going into 2024 offseason
3. Left tackle
After two championships won with an “outside hire” at left tackle, the Chiefs could be turning over the keys to a homegrown product: Wanya Morris, the third-round pick from last spring that started four games on Mahomes’ blind side down the stretch in 2023.
Unsurprisingly, Morris looked like a rookie, flashing his raw talent at times — mostly as a strong run blocker — but also giving way to pass-rush pressure in impactful ways. There’s reason to believe he can be the team’s future at the position, but it is necessary to add competition for the 2024 season at that position.
The team would need to find another affordable veteran like Donovan Smith or draft a talented prospect on Day 1.