Arrowheadlines: Tyreek Hill trade marks shift in NFL team-building strategy

The latest

Peter King: Tyreek Hill Trade Shows How The NFL Is Changing | NBC Sports

I can tell what one of the big topics around the Breakers in Palm Beach will be this week, at least among football people: change. Architectural NFL change.

“I feel it,” veteran agent Drew Rosenhaus said Saturday. “Teams see what the Rams did. A few years ago, you’d never see trades for Matthew Stafford, Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, Deshaun Watson, Von Miller. But you can trade big players, and you can trade lots of draft picks, and you can win.”

“There was a time Tuesday when I thought there was a really good chance we’d work out a deal and go back to Kansas City,” Rosenhaus said. “Next conversation with Tyreek, we talked about the advantages of playing in New York. Next conversation was pro-Miami; he calls it his home away from home. So I could have seen any of those outcomes last Tuesday. All the way through the process, Kansas City was awesome. They wanted to do right by Tyreek.”

“On Tuesday night, Miami finally offered Veach a deal he wanted: first-, second- and fourth-round picks this year, and fourth- and sixth-rounders next year. Hill told Rosenhaus if the Dolphins (in a state with no state taxes) beat Kansas City’s offer comfortably, he’d prefer to go the Dolphins. By Wednesday morning, Rosenhaus had the deal he wanted: $72.2 million in the first three years ($5 million more than Adams), plus a $30-million average in new money over four years, even though, as I pointed out, the last two years are likely to not be kept in place.”

Chiefs suddenly among busiest NFL teams during offseason | Yahoo! Sports

“They aren’t close to being done, either, despite still having just seven of the 22 starters that won their first Super Bowl in five decades a mere 26 months ago: quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce, backup center Austin Reiter, wide receiver Mecole Hardman and defensive linemen Chris Jones, Derrick Nnadi and Frank Clark.

For one thing, the Chiefs still have cash available, and they have been linked to veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore as they try to replace the departed Charvarius Ward. For another, they have two selections in each of the first four rounds of the draft and 12 in all, giving them the freedom to do just about anything they want when it begins April 28.

They could still use a game-changing wide receiver to replace Hill, though his departure and subsequent record-breaking contract extension in Miami is one of the big reasons that Valdes-Scantling signed on in Kansas City.”

Latest on Chiefs S Tyrann Mathieu’s free agent market | Yahoo! Sports

One team to keep an eye on is the Las Vegas Raiders, who have a star defender doing some recruiting on social media. That said, the Raiders have financial problems of their own as they try and work out an extension for QB Derek Carr.

At the end of the day, Mathieu’s patience is a big risk and one that might not pay off with the deal that he wants. Instead, this could be a situation where Mathieu finds himself waiting for the best situation to present itself. So long as he remains available there is still a chance, albeit a slim one, that he returns to Kansas City in 2022. After all, the team finds itself around the top of the NFL in terms of salary cap space following the Tyreek Hill trade.

Projecting long-term contracts for 2022’s franchise-tagged players | NFL.com

Orlando Brown - Kansas City Chiefs - OT

Age at start of 2022 season: 26

Experience: Four NFL seasons

Franchise tag salary: $16.662 million

Brown requested out of Baltimore last offseason, seeking an opportunity at left tackle, a position his father, the late NFL veteran Orlando Brown, raised him to play. With the Ravens having handed former Pro Bowler Ronnie Stanley a significant extension in 2020 to man that spot for them, they shipped Brown to the Chiefs last April for a package that included a first- and third-round pick.

The 6-foot-8, 363-pound Brown has called himself “the worst athlete in the NFL.” He might not be wrong about that, but he’s still a quality left tackle who uses the tools he was given (size and length) to succeed in pass protection. Tasked with protecting the blindside of arguably the NFL’s most valuable asset, Patrick Mahomes in 2021, Brown turned in a solid first season with the Chiefs, adjusting from the bully ball played in Baltimore to the finesse attack of Kansas City. He’s a plus run blocker, though not as physically dominant on the ground as one might expect, given his size.

JuJu Smith-Schuster shuts down talk of Jackson Mahomes TikTok collab | New York Post

Don’t hold your breath for a JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jackson Mahomes TikTok collab.

The receiver, who signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this month — joining quarterback Patrick Mahomes and company — recently shut down the idea during an Instagram Live.

“Nah. That is not happening,” Smith-Schuster told NFL Network’s Taylor Bisciotti, per Deadspin, when asked whether or not he’d be making TikTok videos with Mahomes’ younger brother.

“Do I see myself doing that here? I’m here to work… I came here to win,” he said.

2022 NFL Mock Draft: Chiefs trade up for wide receiver | CBS Sports

Round 1 - Pick 10 | Garrett Wilson - WR

“The Chiefs shipped Tyreek Hill to Miami for a boatload of draft picks — including this year’s first-rounder — so it makes sense to package a few of them to get K.C. in position to draft Garrett Wilson, who is one of the the most dynamic players in college football. His game isn’t quite at the level of the Cheetah, but in many ways reminds us of Odell Beckham Jr.”

Around the NFL

NFL announces Detroit to host 2024 NFL Draft | NFL.com

“The draft has become a prominent offseason event across the country, and we are excited to work with the Lions and their partners to bring the 2024 NFL Draft to the Motor City,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “With the help of Visit Detroit, the Detroit Sports Commission, and the City of Detroit the Lions passionate fan base and all visitors will be treated to an incredible three-day experience.”

The news comes hours after the Detroit Lions were announced as the featured club of the HBO docuseries Hard Knocks during the 2022 training camp.

Detroit beat out the likes of Green Bay and Washington D.C. to serve as the 2024 draft host, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.”

NFL adds requirements to Rooney Rule to aid minority hiring | CNBC

Beginning this season, all 32 clubs must employ a female or a member of an ethnic or racial minority to serve as an offensive assistant coach. The person will receive a one-year contract and work closely with the head coach and offensive staff to gain experience.

In recent years, head coaches have predominantly had offensive backgrounds. The pipeline for minorities on that side of the ball is lacking, as Steelers owner Art Rooney II reiterated Monday.

Teams will receive league funding toward the coach’s salary for up to two years.

Overall, including women in all Rooney Rule requirements is designed to address under-representation of women in key football positions. The league believes this will “encourage the further identification and development of women candidates and the ability to provide them additional opportunity to interview for open positions.”

NFL unanimously approves Buffalo Bills’ proposal for new $1.4 billion stadium | ESPN

The agreement is for a 30-year lease on the stadium that is set to begin in 2026.

“We took another step today to solidify our collective goal of constructing a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park,” Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula said in a statement. “We are grateful for the time, efforts and unwavering commitment made by Governor [Kathy] Hochul and her team throughout this process. While there are more hurdles to clear before getting to the finish line, we feel our public-private partnership between New York State, Erie County, led by County Executive Mark Poloncarz, and the National Football League will get us there.”

The NFL and the Bills will contribute $550 million to match a combined $850 million in public funding. $600 million will come from New York state, while Erie County is set to provide $250 million. The economic and tax impacts generated from the team will support more than 100% of the public share of the cost.

Titans want to sign WR A.J. Brown long-term: ‘A.J. is a Titan and we want to keep A.J. a Titan’ | NFL.com

“Right now, we are just trying to get through this free agency period, seeing where we’ve landed cap-wise,” Robinson said, via the team’s official website. “A.J. is an important part of what we do. He’s a great teammate, he works hard, he’s about what we’re about. A.J. is a Titan and we want to keep A.J. a Titan. And that’s part of our goal this offseason, or whenever that manifests itself, to come to an agreement to keep him around.”

The 2019 second-round pick has become a force in three seasons in Tennessee. The 24-year-old Pro Bowler earned 2,995 yards and 24 TDs on 185 catches in three years. Injuries in 2021 kept Brown from three straight 1,000-yard seasons to open his career.

Robinson said he plans to keep Brown in Tennessee for the long haul.

“We get calls about players all the time – that’s what GMs do,” Robinson said. “I haven’t received any of those calls (about A.J.), and if they do call, our intention is, A.J., we are going to keep him in Nashville. He is an important part of our offense.”

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Film Review: Ronald Jones adds explosive downhill running to the Chiefs

Jones is so dangerous on runs to the outside because he can set them up with tough runs between the tackles. Thanks to his eyes and footwork, he can bang it up the middle for gritty yards. He can maneuver around quickly in short areas and contort his way through holes he sees developing before they are actually there.

The Chiefs like to pull with Joe Thuney and Trey Smith, and both are effective in space, so with Jones added into the fold, he will pair nicely with those two and center Creed Humphrey. Jones makes his best money running behind athletic offensive linemen, and he performs best in downhill, point-of-attack runs, which I believe we will see more of from Andy Reid in 2022.

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