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As Super Bowl 56 came to a close, Chiefs star defensive tackle Chris Jones had just a few words to say after the game.
we will be in it next year.
— Chris Jones (@StoneColdJones) February 14, 2022
The model worked for the Rams. Made sense at the time, too, given their situation at quarterback, in particular. Two of those first-round draft choices were used to acquire Matt Stafford. Other teams (Denver, anyone?) will be in a similar spot and should consider copying off the kid in class who just aced the test.
That wouldn’t work as well for the Chiefs. Their transactions should be designed to compete for the long haul — for the duration of Mahomes’ tenure — not to provide some quick fix at the expense of high-round draft picks and large chunks of salary cap space.
Build through the draft. Supplement with free agency when applicable and affordable. Trade the occasional pick? Sure. This isn’t an anti-trade column. But following the Rams’ lead and trading five picks from one draft class to fill holes on the roster with expensive cap charges? Pass.
Two different methods.
In this case, the Chiefs can trust their own resume. Their 2021 draft class — linebacker Nick Bolton, center Creed Humphrey, defensive end Joshua Kaindoh, tight end Noah Gray, receiver Noah Powell and right guard Trey Smith — will charge about $6 million to the 2022 salary cap. Combined.
That’s less than 3% of the projected $208.2 million salary cap, and it encompasses the team’s leading tackler and two highly graded starters on the offensive line. All are locked in for multiple years to come, by the way.
The PFF 101: Highlighting the top 101 players from the 2021 NFL season | PFF
27. C CREED HUMPHREY, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
2021 Snaps: 1,328 | 2021 PFF Grade: 92.5
The Chiefs overhauled their entire offensive line after last season’s Super Bowl defeat, and drafting Humphrey was a major part of the success of that endeavor. The second-round center played like the best in the game from Day 1, allowing 12 pressures in 20 games across almost 1,400 snaps of action, including the playoffs. Humphrey’s run blocking was elite and looked like something we would hope to see from an established veteran.
Chiefs Players Roast Bengals CB Eli Apple After Super Bowl Loss | NBC New York
After Kupp hauled in the game-winning touchdown over Apple in Super Bowl LVI, Mecole Hardman, Tyreek Hill and Khalen Saunders of the Kansas City Chiefs took to Twitter to troll the Bengals cornerback.
smell like apple pie in sofi.. https://t.co/XeXdiYcKMR
— Sir Bink Wilfork-Saunders (@khalenNOTkaylen) February 14, 2022
Once Los Angeles secured the 23-20 victory, Hardman continued to pile on by posting a video of his championship ring from Kansas City’s Super Bowl 54 win.
@EliApple It’s cool big bro! You might get one of these one day but in the mean time just go get better at your craft ✌ pic.twitter.com/y6ZJN5zkgS
— Mecole Hardman Jr. (@MecoleHardman4) February 14, 2022
Las Vegas oddsmakers give the Giants odds of +8000, which translates to a slim 1.2 percent chance, of doing just that next season. Only four teams, the Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets at +10000 and the Houston Texans at +12500, have longer odds.
The Bengals had suffered five consecutive losing seasons before going 10-7 in 2021 and eventually reaching Super Bowl 56, where they lost to the Los Angeles Rams, 23-20. The Giants have similarly suffered five straight losing seasons.
It is, of course, rare to do what Cincinnati did and the long odds show how unlikely it is that the Giants could follow the Bengals’ path next season in Brian Daboll’s first year as head coach.
The Buffalo Bills (+800) are the Super Bowl 57 favorites, followed by the Kansas City Chiefs (+950), Rams, (+1000). The Bengals, Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers are all +1400, with the Green Bay Packers at +1600.
Three-round 2022 NFL mock draft 1.0: Five trades, five QBs selected in Round 1 | NFL.com
30 - Kansas City Chiefs
Kaiir Elam
Florida · CB · Junior
If the Chiefs are able to re-sign safety Tyrann Mathieu, they could look to replace potential free-agent losses Charvarius Ward and Mike Hughes with a competitive, physical corner like Elam, whose uncle, Matt, was picked 32nd overall by the Ravens in 2013.
Around the NFL
The contact clearly impeded Ramsey’s ability to make a play on the ball, but according to referee Ronald Torbert, officials saw more of a rake of the facemask than a grab and a twist.
“Our rule is that if there is a grab and twist and turn, there’s enough for a foul,” Torbert told Pro Football Writers Association pool reporter Joe Reedy. “If there’s just a rake across the facemask, where there’s not a twist and turn even if there’s a grab, there is no foul. The officials did not see any contact that rose to the level of a foul for a 15-yard facemask.”
Followed Reedy: “So, they did not see a twist and turn?”
“Yes, that’s correct,” Torbert replied.
Murray broke his silence on Monday night. Via his Instagram account, the two time Pro Bowl quarterback non-directly responded to reports that he is “self-centered, immature, and a finger pointer.” Murray’s comments were accompanied by a photo of himself in a Cardinals uniform.
“I play this game for the love of it, my teammates, everyone who has helped me get into this position that believed in me and to win championships,” Murray said. “All of this nonsense is not what I’m about, never has been, never will be. Anyone who has ever stepped between those lines with me knows how hard I go.
“Love me or hate me but I’m going to continue to grow and get better.”
Mattress Mack vows to keep going after $9.5 million Super Bowl loss | ESPN
Mattress Mack 2022 notable wagers
Lost $9.5 million on Cincinnati in Super Bowl
Lost $2 million on New England to win Super Bowl at 20-1 odds
Lost $700,000 on Titans to win Super Bowl (+850 future)
Lost $6.15 million on Alabama to win College Football Playoff at around +130 odds
McIngvale drove across the border to Louisiana early Friday morning, pulled over at a rest stop and placed the $5 million bet on Caesars Sportsbook’s mobile app at +170 odds. Last week, McIngvale placed a $4.5 million money-line bet on the Bengals with Caesars Sportsbook in Louisiana for a total of $9.5 million on the underdog team from Cincinnati. Caesars Sportsbook said the $5 million Bengals bet was the largest single wager the company has ever taken, eclipsing a $4.9 million bet on the heavily favored St. Louis Rams to beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
How the Chiefs could rebuild their safety room
Free agency
Thornhill is the only player with gameday experience at safety who is currently under contract for 2022 — although Zayne Anderson and cornerback-safety tweener Devon Key are also on the roster.
When you look at the names hitting the market from Kansas City, Mathieu is most likely to be back in 2022. Watts’ contributions on special teams may spark some conversation about whether he will re-sign with the Chiefs. Sorensen’s experience with the team and memorable moments — both positive and negative — will forever be etched in the memories of Chiefs fans, but I expect him to be elsewhere next season.
There are solid options for Veach to explore in the free-agent market.
Jessie Bates III
Quandre Diggs
Marcus Williams
Kareem Jackson
Terrell Edmunds
Xavier Woods
Jordan Whitehead
DJ Reed
Tracy Walker
Bates — if he does leave Cincinnati — will be a hot player who could be a first-priority signing for multiple teams. His price may be too high for the Chiefs — but he is, in fact, a top-tier safety in the league. If he does turn out to be an unrealistic option, veterans like Diggs or Jackson would be valuable pieces for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s unit.
If the Chiefs want to get more youth, there are also players like Edmunds (a first-round pick in 2018) or Williams. You can check the full list here. One or more of them could be coming to Kansas City.
A tweet to make you think
Time to go ⏰
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) February 14, 2022
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