Arrowheadlines: Frank Clark ‘ecstatic’ about Carlos Dunlap signing with the Chiefs

The latest

Frank Clark ‘ecstatic’ over Chiefs’ addition of Carlos Dunlap | Chiefs Wire

“I know Carlos (Dunlap) has 96 career sacks,” Clark said. “That’s a hell of a number. I’m ecstatic about him coming in, what he’s going to be able to bring to this team, his veteran skills, the knowledge.”

Clark has been the veteran in the room in Kansas City, working with rookies like George Karlaftis and Kehinde Oginni Hassan late every day after training camp practice. Clark, however, thinks he’s still got room to learn something himself from Dunlap.

“I’m going to pick his brain,” Clark said. “I’ve had a few veterans come in at this point kind of in the camp time (with) weird one-year deals. In the past, I’ve had Suggs (Terrell Suggs) here obviously. T-Sizz is my dawg. Shoutout Suggs. I’ve had – in Seattle – Dwight Freeney. I’ve had some good vets come in.”

Best and Worst Cases for Each NFL Division With Training Camps Underway | Bleacher Report

AFC West

Worst case: Young coaches wilt under pressure

While it’s possible Kansas City has the worst offensive playmakers amongst the four West teams, it’s hard to bet against Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes making the playoffs. The veteran coach has been one of the best in the NFL over his career. It’s easier to see another team underachieve under the pressure.

This concept isn’t unfounded. The Chargers fell apart in the final month of the 2021 season during Brandon Staley’s first year as head coach. They lost three of their final four games, including a shocking 41-29 loss to Houston that kept them out of the postseason.

It’s possible Nathaniel Hackett in Denver or Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas suffer similar hiccups. Or that Staley stumbles again in key moments. The minor differences in these teams mean the decision-making in crunch time by these coaches will be scrutinized at an all-time high.

Patrick Mahomes joined Rob Gronkowski after selling $3.4 Million worth NFT art pieces in just 20 minutes | The Sports Rush

Perhaps taking inspiration from Rob Gronkowski, Mahomes cashed in on his virtual art gallery. He put up six different pieces of artwork on the digital art site, MakersPlace, and tried to sell as much as he could in a limited time. Four of these pieces were open editions and were worth somewhere in the range of $2,500 to $10,000.

Then, he opened up the last two pieces which were limited edition, each going for $15,000. 451 open edition pieces were sold in 15 minutes for a total of $2 million and 95 limited edition pieces for $1.4 million, making the total earnings $3.4 million. All the purchases were made in about 20 minutes.

The artwork collection was known as “The Museum of Mahomes.” Mahomes didn’t pocket all of his earnings either as a portion of the proceeds were donated to Mahomes’ foundation, 15 and the Mahomies, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Missouri.

Patrick Mahomes has a net worth of $40 million and he signed a $503 million extension with the Chiefs, but he’s still looking to make money moves.

“I’m looking to break boundaries and make history on and off the field,” Mahomes explained. “That’s the great thing about being an athlete these days, you have so many outlets and opportunities to expand your brand and make an impact.”

2023 NFL MVP Odds and Picks: Is Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen the Betting Favorite? | Sports Casting

So, let’s check in on the current MVP betting odds and try to find some valuable bets in the bunch.

The Buffalo Bills are the betting favorites to win the Super Bowl in 2023, so it’s no surprise that their quarterback is the favorite to win MVP. Josh Allen is currently +700 to win the award, with Patrick Mahomes (+800), Tom Brady (+800), Justin Herbert (+900), and Aaron Rodgers (+1000) close behind on the odds board.

Around the NFL

Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Mixon, Zac Taylor harbor no consternation about ending of Super Bowl LVI | ESPN

On Saturday, Taylor said he had discussed the issue with Mixon and has no qualms about how the running back expressed himself.

“You absolutely should feel passionate about that situation,” Taylor said. “He’s handled it outstanding. That’s much appreciated. He knows that. It’s one of the reasons you want to get back to those moments, you know?”

With the Bengals running their two-minute offense in need of points to extend or win the Super Bowl, Cincinnati opted for backup Samaje Perine. On Cincinnati’s final drive, Perine was stopped for no gain and was the target of a hurried and haphazard pass attempt on the final fourth-and-1 that sealed the Rams’ victory.

On Friday, after declining to speak with the media throughout organized team activities and during the first two days of training camp, Mixon suggested that he should have essentially checked himself into the game during that final drive.

“It was just a caught-up-in-a-moment thing,” Mixon said during an impromptu news conference following Friday’s practice, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. “I really should have taken initiative on myself and just been like, ‘Hey, I’m coming in.’ But you know, it was the heat of the moment.”

49ers, WR Deebo Samuel agree to three-year contract extension worth up to $73.5 million | NFL.com

The San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Deebo Samuel have agreed on a three-year contract extension worth up to $73.5 million with $58.1 million guaranteed, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday.

Samuel had initially emerged as the next domino to fall in an offseason of massive WR upheaval after it was reported he wanted out of the Bay Area — due in part to his overtaxed role in the 49ers’ offense — but tension between the sides thawed throughout the offseason.

By the time Samuel reported to camp on Tuesday, both general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed confidence that a deal would get done in short order.

LOOK: Josh Allen involved in Bills training camp fight after being bumped by defensive lineman | CBS Sports

The No. 1 rule of training camp is don’t touch the quarterback. In fact, that doesn’t go far enough. Don’t get in his way on a rollout, don’t swipe at the ball and don’t even pretend like you’re going to lay the lumber as a joke. Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Jordan Phillips got a little too close to star signal-caller Josh Allen on Saturday.

As Allen rushed up the middle during a two-point conversion, he was bumped by Phillips. Allen then turned around, walked up to Phillips and shoved him. Naturally, chaos ensued.

Here are a couple of different angles of the altercation:

New York Jets coach Robert Saleh says he’s concerned over use of new protective helmet shells | ESPN

“I think the spirit of it all is really good. It’s got great benefits ... but I do think there’s a balance in everything, right?” Saleh said Saturday after practice. “Too much of anything is a bad thing.

“I do think because of the soft blow, it’s kind of lending the players to use their heads a little bit more. I do think the first time when they take it off — anybody who has played football knows the first time you take your helmet off or you hit with the helmet or you have a collision, there’s a shock. I do think that if you’re waiting until the first game for that shock to happen ... I don’t know, time will tell. It’s just interesting with those Guardian Caps and what exactly are we trying to accomplish.”

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Top 20 Chiefs players for the 2022 season: 4-1

3. Defensive lineman Chris Jones

The story at this time last year was the transition of Chris Jones to defensive end. That move wasn’t exactly a success, but Jones still managed to deliver his career-average 9.0 sacks and eight tackles for loss. He’s again the most important player on this defense in 2022, and he’s back inside, where he is most at home. The team will rely upon him to create quick pressure and make game-changing plays, supplementing a pass rush that simply wasn’t good enough last year. He seems motivated and energized in camp, with a big contract decision year looming.

Jones has built a reputation as the second-best interior pass rusher in the league, behind only Aaron Donald. But to hold on to that spot—and the potential future payday that could come with it— Jones will need to get back into double-digit sacks this season. He admits that he had a frustrating end to his 2021 campaign, being unable to close the deal against Joe Burrow in the AFC title game. When he’s at his best, Jones can help close out big games, as he did in Super Bowl LIV. If he’s at the top of his game in 2022, there are few players in the league that are as valuable as Chris Jones, and his agent will be able to make the case for another new deal.

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