Arrowheadlines: Brett Veach insists that the Chiefs aren’t in ‘rebuild mode’

The latest

Kansas City Chiefs not in ‘rebuilding mode’ despite losing key players, GM says | ESPN

General manager Brett Veach still resisted the idea the Chiefs are in any kind of rebuilding effort.

“When you have Pat Mahomes, we’ll be wired to go after it every year,’’ Veach said. “Even though you may make moves and you may trade really good players, it doesn’t mean [there won’t] be another counterpunch and that we [won’t] try to be aggressive in another way. You just have to be smart and flexible in what you do. What’s needed to do that is draft resources and cap space.

“Just because you trade away a great player doesn’t mean we’re in a rebuilding mode by any means. It just means we’re going to find a new set of resources and we’re going to try to be aggressive.’’

Seven-round 2022 NFL mock draft, Round 1: Cowboys, Steelers trade up | NFL.com

26 - Kansas City Chiefs

Daxton Hill

Michigan · S · Junior

PROJECTED TRADE WITH TENNESSEE TITANS

Hill was called a safety at Michigan, but he has corner speed and change-of-direction skills. The Chiefs really need bodies on the outside, so Hill could play on the perimeter to start and potentially move around to nickel or safety depending on the formation or how the team uses its later selections. The Chiefs send the 30th overall pick and a third-rounder (No. 94) to the Titans, who return a fifth-round choice (No. 169) to balance the trade equation.

NFL draft: Ranking every quarterback class since 2000 | NFL.com

2) 2017

Round 1: Mitchell Trubisky (No. 2), Patrick Mahomes (No. 10), Deshaun Watson (No. 12)

Round 2: DeShone Kizer (No. 52)

Round 3: Davis Webb (No. 87), C.J. Beathard (No. 104)

Round 4: Joshua Dobbs (No. 135))

Round 5: Nathan Peterman (No. 171)

Round 6: Brad Kaaya (No. 215)

Round 7: Chad Kelly (No. 253)

Notable undrafted: Taysom Hill, Nick Mullens

Bears fans will spend the next decade-plus absorbing constant reminders of ex-general manager Ryan Pace trading up for Mitchell Trubisky while Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson went overlooked. Mahomes rides a trajectory to become the finest player of his generation. Already an MVP and Super Bowl champion, the bucket list is thinning.

Watson is a Pro Bowl talent whose serious off-the-field issues didn’t stop the Browns from handing him more guaranteed money than any quarterback in history. While he’s an obvious upgrade over Mayfield, it’s unclear when he will be available to play, with no publicly known timeline for the NFL’s ongoing investigation of allegations of sexual misconduct. From a pure talent standpoint, though, Watson and Mahomes form the top single-class duo on this list.

I like Taysom Hill more as a gadget-magician than a starting quarterback, but the retired Sean Payton would happily write a book of sea poems about the man.

2022 NFL Mock Draft: Sam Howell first QB off the board after trade, Jaguars take Aidan Hutchinson No. 1 | CBS Sports

Round 1 - Pick 30

Arnold Ebiketie EDGE

Kansas City

They then follow up the Hill pick by addressing another need on the defensive side of the ball with Ebiketie. He’s not the most impressive athletically, but he does a good job of keeping tackles guessing and off-balance. He’s also just as valuable against the run.

DeSean Jackson considering retirement, identifies 4 teams who could land him | Sports Naut

Kansas City Chiefs: If the Chiefs don’t plan to trade for a wide receiver, signing one in free agency could be an option. Valdes-Scantling already fills the role as a vertical threat, but coach Andy Reid likes to rotate players. If Jackson is truly open to playing limited snaps, he would fit in Kansas City’s offense and could score a few touchdowns with Patrick Mahomes.

Around the NFL

Andrew Berry: Browns ‘were transparent with our intentions’ with Mayfield’s reps prior to Watson trade | NFL.com

Berry was asked Friday about recent comments made by Mayfield in which he indicated he felt “disrespected” by the Browns in how they handled their pursuit and eventual acquisition of quarterback Deshaun Watson. Unsurprisingly, Berry didn’t take the bait.

“We were transparent with our intentions with his reps,” Berry said. “That being said, I think we can all understand how Baker feels. Sometimes, things in the NFL — whether it’s team-related, coach-related, player-related, they may not work out. Baker is a competitive and driven young man who has had success as a quarterback and will continue to have success as a quarterback, so (I) definitely understand it.”

Source: Tampa Bay Buccaneers restructure Tom Brady’s deal to free up $9M in cap space | ESPN

The move frees up $9 million in salary-cap space at a time when the Bucs could certainly use it. Prior to the move, the Bucs had just under $4.4 million in cap room, sixth-lowest in the league.

Tight end Rob Gronkowski remains a free agent and has not committed to playing next season. Defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh also remains unsigned, although the feeling has been that the Bucs would like to go younger at the position as he is 35 years old.

The Bucs also will need about $3 million to sign their 2022 draft picks.

The Giants are looking to move on from a former first-round pick

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Brett Veach on trading Tyreek Hill — and how impacted offseason plans, franchise’s future

Hill had suddenly become way more expensive. The Chiefs had to figure out what to do. Veach admitted the delay with Hill interrupted their initial offseason plans.

“I think it did, to an extent,” said the general manager during his pre-draft press conference on Friday. “When we looked at this offseason, I think on our agenda was to add talent to the defensive side — whether it be defensive line or it be in the secondary — and take care of Tyreek. It became obvious as the free agency started that it was going to be tough to do both. You’re faced with a decision: do you dip into the older, veteran pass rush market? If you do that, how are you going to pay Tyreek? And then how does Tyreek feel about that?

“If you do the Tyreek thing, then you’re limited in regard to your resources being able to be spent on defense — plus the future. With that type of deal, [the future] would be impacted to a great deal. So when we took a step back and we figured, ‘How are we going to get better on both sides?’ That’s why we decided it was best for us (and best for Tyreek) getting that contract. It was kind of a win-win in that situation.”

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