Arrowheadlines: Chiefs’ Sean Culkin converts entire salary to Bitcoin

The latest

Kansas City Chiefs’ Sean Culkin becomes 1st NFL player to convert entire salary to Bitcoin | ESPN

Culkin, who is vying to be a backup behind starter Travis Kelce, would be paid his $920,000 salary by the Chiefs in U.S. dollars but in turn will convert it to Bitcoin.

“I’ve always had a lot of interest in and a passion for finance and economics from my days at Mizzou,” Culkin said. “Even before that, my dad was big, really bullish on gold. Early on, I was always exposed to his philosophies on what made gold an intractable investment looking at it from a macro perspective. There’s a lot of overlap between gold and Bitcoin. I really spent all of my time in the offseason the past year just hearing about this growing space in crypto. It just seemed like it was getting bigger and bigger.

“Through education and learning and having a level of conviction over the course of time, I just felt like I wanted to be compensated from my services in football in Bitcoin.”

Ranking the 10 Best NFL Draft Hauls of the Past 5 Years | Bleacher Report

5. 2017 Kansas City Chiefs

Notable Picks: QB Patrick Mahomes, RB Kareem Hunt, DL Tanoh Kpassagnon

If we were ranking the most valuable individual selections of the last five years, it would be difficult not to put Patrick Mahomes at the top. A first-round selection of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017, Mahomes has established himself as, hands down, the top quarterback in the game today.

Mahomes has already amassed 14,152 passing yards and 114 passing touchdowns with only 24 interceptions. He has led Kansas City to the Super Bowl twice, has been to three AFC title games and has both a Super Bowl MVP and a regular-season MVP on his resume.

Mahomes started only one game as a rookie.

Kansas City’s 2017 class is heavily weighted by the inclusion of Mahomes. However, the Chiefs also landed Pro Bowl running back and 2017 rushing leader Kareem Hunt as part of the haul. Hunt, however, was released after less than two seasons when video surfaced of him shoving and kicking a woman.

While defensive lineman Tanoh Kpassagnon hasn’t been to a Pro Bowl, he was a solid rotational player during his four seasons with the Chiefs. He started 24 games, appeared in 61 contests and compiled 75 tackles and seven sacks.

Other players selected by Kansas City in 2017 included safety Leon McQuay and linebacker Ukeme Eligwe. Mahomes, though, is clearly the centerpiece of this draft class.

2021 NFL draft: 1 prospect Chargers fans would not like to see on team’s division rivals | Chargers Wire

Chiefs: WR Dyami Brown

Kansas City made a trade for Pro Bowl offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. this past week. While they had to ship away their first-round pick (No. 31 overall), the team still managed to get a second-round selection in return.

The Chiefs have a few positions that they will have to address this week, with wide receiver sitting near the top after the departure of Sammy Watkins.

Given head coach Andy Reid’s draft history, it wouldn’t see him prioritize another dynamic to add to an already high-powered offense, which Brown would present.

In addition to Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman and Travis Kelce, Brown would be a vertical threat for quarterback Patrick Mahomes who is capable of making big plays down the field on a consistent basis.

The Chargers struggled with Kansas City’s play-makers the past few seasons, and even though head coach Brandon Staley will put them in a position to succeed, it won’t be an easy task by any means if they drafted Brown.

Three-Round 2021 NFL Mock Draft: Patriots move up for QB, Cowboys make two trades, Bucs land QB in Round 2 | CBS Sports

62. Packers: Jabril Cox, LB, LSU

63. Chiefs: Baron Browning, LB, Ohio State

64. Buccaneers: Creed Humphrey, OL, Oklahoma

Ranking all 32 NFL rosters ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft

3. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

The Chiefs’ current outlook at offensive tackle and edge isn’t all that appealing, but when you have the league’s best quarterback, two of the most dynamic receiving threats in the NFL and a reliable secondary, it doesn’t matter all that much.

Patrick Mahomes has been the most valuable quarterback in the league over the past three years. Tyreek Hill has been the fourth-most valuable wide receiver over that same span, while Travis Kelce has finished first among tight ends.

The secondary is really young outside of veteran Tyrann Mathieu, but they got the job done in 2020, earning the 10th-highest team defense grade in the league.

Buy Clyde Edwards-Helaire in Fantasy Football | Last Words on Sports

When the Chiefs selected Edwards-Helaire with the 32nd pick in last year’s draft, the fantasy community not only touted the Kansas City rookie as a first-round fantasy pick but worthy of the overall first redraft selection.

That was a clear case of hyperbole, except Edwards-Helaire’s season wasn’t as bad as most think. Due to his high ankle and hip strains, he only played 13 games for the Chiefs. Edwards-Helaire averaged 4.2 targets per game, ranking 14th at the position. When given the opportunity to rush the football, he produced as a high-end RB1, with three games as the overall RB10 or better.

Per PlayerProfiler, Edwards-Helaire’s 4.3 true yards per carry only ranked 28th among all running backs. His 5.1 yards per touch was only slightly better at 25th overall. With these moderate rankings, one questions as to where the majority of the blame be placed for his inefficiency?

Around the NFL

Falcons receiving trade calls on star WR Julio Jones | NFL.com

It appears the Falcons are at least toying with the idea of trading the seven-time Pro Bowler.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Atlanta has received calls from teams inquiring about possible trades for Jones, per sources informed of the situation.

Any trade for Jones would not be executed before June 1 due to salary cap reasons — after June 1, the Falcons could split up Jones’ massive cap hit between 2021 and 2022. Atlanta could set up an agreement with a trade partner for future compensation and make the move official in June.

NFL retirement: Cowboys’ Sean Lee calls it a career after 11 seasons, team open to possible coaching role | CBS Sports

It’s the end of yet another era for the Dallas Cowboys in 2021, having already decided to part ways with legendary long snapper L.P. Ladouceur and punter Chris Jones. This time, the decision wasn’t theirs, but instead belonged to linebacker Sean Lee — who had been considering retirement since the close of a disappointing finish to the 2020 season. Just days ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft, Lee has made the decision to call it a career, a source confirmed to CBS Sports, ending his NFL run after 11 seasons.

This does not necessarily mean he’s done in Dallas, however, with a separate source noting the team would be open to carving out a role on the defensive coaching staff if Lee is interested and doesn’t want to take some time away from the game before transitioning to his next chapter. Considering how competitive Lee continues to be, it’s certainly a situation to watch.

49ers reveal 75th anniversary logo to be worn during draft, in season | NFL.com

The team is commemorating 75 years of existence with a logo and patch that will be featured on 2021 draft jerseys, in-season uniforms, and game balls and coins for home games. The emblem includes a block-lettered “75” with drop down shadow inside of a diamond, shaped very similar to the NFL’s 75th anniversary logo from the 1994 season.

That was also the last time San Francisco won the Super Bowl, sporting shadowed numbers no less.

“The past seven and a half decades of 49ers football have provided generations of Faithful with countless unforgettable plays, players, and memories, and my family and our organization look forward to celebrating that storied history all year long through this campaign,” 49ers CEO Jed York said in a statement. “Our 75th Anniversary season promises to create new memories for both the seventy thousand Faithful we look forward to welcoming back to Levi’s Stadium and he millions of Faithful around the world.”

Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson’s ‘The Griddy’ dance to be included in Fortnite | ESPN

Months after the conclusion of his standout rookie season, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is being immortalized beyond the NFL’s record books.

The Fortnite video game will include as an emote “The Griddy,” the toe-tapping touchdown celebration Jefferson brought with him from LSU to the pros. The dance’s inclusion in the game will come Wednesday, according to the Epic Games website.

Jefferson is the first NFL player to be featured in Fortnite, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The NFL and Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, began a partnership in November 2018 to make gear, known as skins, available for all 32 teams in the game’s Battle Royale mode.

In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride

5 reasons to be excited about the Chiefs’ trade for Orlando Brown Jr.

3. The contract situation is actually favorable to the Chiefs

At first, I questioned whether it was wise for the Chiefs to trade for Brown without a contract extension in place, which would give him all the leverage in an eventual negotiation. The Chiefs just gave up a first-round pick for Brown. who has one year remaining on his rookie contract. It would be foolish to allow him to walk in free agency for nothing in return, right? In theory, Brown could play hardball with his salary demands.

He’ll play in 2021 at a $3.3 million cap hit, becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2022 — unless the Chiefs place the franchise tag on him. The projected franchise tag salary for an offensive tackle next year is currently $16.5 million, which will still be below top-shelf offensive tackle money; Trent Williams received $23 million per year from the San Francisco 49ers.

The Chiefs could even tag him again after 2022, but there should be good reason to have a long-term deal done by 2023. Kansas City has acquired two seasons of top-tier left tackle play at a discount — while also allowing them to decide if his play will merit a big deal.

A tweet to make you think

Follow Arrowhead Pride on Social Media

Facebook Page: Click here to like our page

AP Instagram: Follow @ArrowheadPride

AP Twitter: Follow @ArrowheadPride

AP Editor-in-Chief: Pete Sweeney: Follow @pgsween

610 Sports Twitter: Follow @610SportsKC