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NFL Power Rankings: Eagles, Falcons jump up after free agency frenzy; Cowboys, Titans slip | NFL.com
1 – Kansas City Chiefs
2023 record: 11-6
With Chris Jones staying put, all that’s left to figure out is L’Jarius Sneed’s situation and the draft, and that has to be a pretty good feeling for the champs. Maybe they won’t be everyone’s No. 1 team to start next season, and it would be tough to lose Sneed if he’s traded, but the Chiefs remain relatively intact and still have the best quarterback on the planet. Patrick Mahomes hasn’t yet been given major upgrades at receiver (the Hollywood Brown signing has the potential to hit big, but Brown is such a wild card, having finished last season on a down note). Even so, the Chiefs remain my No. 1 because they’re not tangibly worse than they were a season ago, and we’ve now seen that they don’t even need a great regular season to win it all.
It appears Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will further his budding career off the football field.
Kelce is in discussions to host a celebrity-focused reboot of Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? on Amazon Prime Video, according to Brian Steinberg of Variety. The new version of the show would include celebrity guests instead of children.
However, “there are some questions, according to the people familiar with discussions, about how much of a commitment Kelce could make to the venture if he continues playing football,” Steinberg added.
Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? first appeared on Fox for three seasons beginning in 2007. It returned to Fox for a fourth season after moving to syndication and eventually migrated to a version on Nickelodeon, which was hosted by John Cena.
2024 NFL mock draft: Vikings trade up for Drake Maye, 4 QBs in top 6 | USA Today
32. Kansas City Chiefs: OT Jordan Morgan, Arizona
It would be fun to give the champs a toy like Texas WR Xavier Worthy, who set the combine record with a 4.21 40-yard dash. But there’s currently a gaping hole on QB Patrick Mahomes’ blind side. Too big a need to ignore unless LT Donovan Smith re-signs or HC Andy Reid and GM Brett Veach come up with an even better answer in the interim. Barring that, Morgan could be a good one.
2024 NFL free agency: Experts debate best signings, deals | ESPN
Jason Reid, senior Andscape writer: Chiefs signing WR Marquise “Hollywood” Brown to a one-year deal worth up to $11 million. Kansas City GM Brett Veach addressed the team’s biggest offseason concern. The Chiefs led the league in dropped passes (38) last season. Veach needed to acquire a potential difference-maker at the receiver position, and Brown has elite speed and is an elusive runner after the catch. In his five NFL seasons, Brown has 3,644 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns. He gives the Chiefs their best deep threat since they traded Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins.
4. Chiefs sign WR Marquise Brown
On just about any other team, Brown would register as more of a No. 2-type pass catcher. But that’s basically what the Chiefs are paying him to be on a one-year, $7 million prove-it deal. And with elite speed, he should have plenty of opportunities to boost his stock catching bombs from Patrick Mahomes, while elevating/deepening Kansas City’s rotation of wideouts.
3. Chiefs tag CB L’Jarius Sneed
Playing the short game with Sneed enabled K.C. to keep All-Pro Chris Jones in place as the anchor of Steve Spagnuolo’s title-winning defense. And no matter what happens next, it’s a win for the Chiefs: either they get a physical, ascending cover man for another year; or they get what figures to be a solid return for him via trade, leaving Trent McDuffie to lead the position.
2024 NFL Free Agency: Kirk Cousins Tops List of 10 Best Signings | Sports Illustrated
4. Marquise Brown, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Brown might prove to be the best value at receiver in free agency. The Chiefs landed Brown on a one-year, $7 million pact worth up to $11 million with incentives.
Brown, 26, has played five years with the Ravens and Arizona Cardinals, going over the 1,000-yard threshold in 2021 with Baltimore. Now catching passes from Patrick Mahomes, Brown’s a decent bet to find a new level of success in Kansas City’s offense.
Around the NFL
Browns signing WR Jerry Jeudy to three-year extension worth up to $58 million | NFL.com
The Cleveland Browns and recently acquired wide receiver Jerry Jeudy have agreed to a three-year contract extension worth up to $58 million, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported on Tuesday, per sources.
Rapoport and Pelissero add that the new deal includes $41 million fully guaranteed for Jeudy, who was traded to Cleveland from Denver this offseason for a pair of 2024 draft picks.
Jets sign ex-Chargers WR Mike Williams to 1-year deal | ESPN
Supplying quarterback Aaron Rodgers with a new pass-catcher, the New York Jets signed former Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams on Tuesday.
Williams, 29, inked a one-year contract that has a maximum value of $15 million, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Jets went into free agency looking to upgrade at the position opposite Garrett Wilson, a 1,000-yard receiver in each of his first two seasons. Since 2018, Williams leads the NFL with 15.8 yards per reception among players with at least 200 catches, but he arrives with some durability questions.
Bengals sign OT Trent Brown to fortify offensive line | ESPN
Brown will pair with Orlando Brown Jr. to give the Bengals bookend tackles to protect star quarterback Joe Burrow.
The Bengals had a vacancy on their offensive line after offensive tackle Jonah Williams agreed to a contract with the Arizona Cardinals last week.
Trent Brown said during a media availability Tuesday that fit and enjoying coming to work each day were two big factors that led him to sign with the Bengals. He told reporters he saw Bengals center Ted Karras, his former teammate with the New England Patriots, sitting in the hot tub in the Bengals’ facility, which spoke volumes about Cincinnati’s culture.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs Salary Cap: Contract shows higher cap hit for Marquise Brown
The initial reports from his signing indicated that Brown’s one-year contract would pay him $7 million for the coming season — and allow him to earn up to $4 million in incentives.
Those figures were correct. But in most contracts negotiated by Kansas City general manager Brett Veach, incentives tend to be classified as not-likely-to-be-earned (NLTBE) — which means that if earned, they will count against the following season’s salary cap.
For this reason, many assumed that Brown’s 2024 cap hit would be close to $7 million. However, Breer’s report states the cap hit will be closer to $8.2 million.
The deal begins with a $3 million signing bonus. Brown’s base salary is $3.5 million, which brings the starting cap figure to $6.5 million. Brown’s $250,000 workout bonus will also count against the cap.