Chiefs How to get the chiefs back to the super bowl

big nasty kcnut · 02-08-2020, 07:23 PM

Espn + read

Kansas City Chiefs
2019 record: 12-4, AFC champions
Average age of starters in 2019: 26.7 (eighth youngest in NFL)
Projected 2020 cap space: $16,825,621 (eighth least)
Big-ticket free agent: Chris Jones
Low-key important free agent: Kendall Fuller

Will the Chiefs ink Patrick Mahomes to a lucrative new contract this offseason? AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Three sneaky-good moves that got them to Super Bowl LIV
Finding second-round gems Mecole Hardman and Juan Thornhill: Hardman was redundant with Tyreek Hill in the lineup, but the offense is built around speed for Mahomes to utilize, and Hardman's versatile, explosive skill set gave Kansas City a potent fourth option whose role will only expand. Thornhill was thriving before his ACL injury, an instinctual safety with quickness to match safety mate Tyrann Mathieu. Championship teams do their most draft damage outside of the first round, and this is the perfect example.

Benching LeSean McCoy: The Chiefs didn't panic when Damien Williams started slowly and worked through injuries. McCoy's fumbling problem resurfaced, and at age 31, he can't offset the lack of ball security with enough home-run plays. Andy Reid smartly turned to Williams, and even leaned into the running game late in the AFC Championship game against Tennessee.

Prioritizing the pass rush with the Frank Clark signing: The Chiefs could have spent big money on defensive tackle Chris Jones, who's a free agent in March, but instead they utilized that money by swinging a massive trade for Clark. When both are healthy and wreaking havoc, the Chiefs are hard to stop on third downs. Giving Clark $63.5 million in guarantees is steep, but the pass rush market is exploding by the year, and Clark is better than anyone available this offseason. He also claims to give Kansas City's defense something it desperately needed: "Swagger," he said.

Biggest offseason questions
When should the Chiefs pay Patrick Mahomes? Mahomes' two-year explosion intersects with a ballooning quarterback market at the perfect time. The one certainty is he'll surpass Russell Wilson's $35 million per year as the game's highest-paid quarterback sometime between now and next offseason. But both parties might have their reasons to wait. Many sources around the league believe Mahomes' agents will be eager to do a splash deal now. But waiting helps Mahomes for two reasons: He can let fellow 2018 draft-class mate Deshaun Watson set a new market, and he can get even more money with a fresh collective bargaining agreement if it gets done before March, which many people involved want. Meanwhile, the Chiefs have other pressing contract needs they could figure out with more time. Of course, stalling puts Kansas City under the mercy of a salary cap that's rising 7% or more per year. That means bigger payouts.

EDITOR'S PICKS

NFL experts predict: Which 2019 playoff teams will return -- and won't

Kiper's 2020 NFL Mock Draft: Perfect fits for Tua, Burrow and Herbert

2020 NFL Power Rankings: Way-too-early offseason poll
How to proceed with Chris Jones' future? This one is complicated, because as one NFL exec points out, sometimes Jones looks like the best player in football, and other plays he disappears. The 10 or so flashes per game will probably get him close to $20 million per year on a new deal. The Chiefs would have to get creative financially to make that work. And sources say Jones strongly considered a holdout last summer, so the chances of him playing nice on a franchise tag appear bleak. This could be headed for a sign-and-trade with another team, giving Kansas City a top pick to use on a new defensive tackle and/or continue to develop Khalen Saunders.

How much will it cost to keep Travis Kelce happy? Kelce has two years left on his contract, but has outplayed his $7.25 million salary for 2020, and wants the third contract. Tyreek Hill makes nearly twice as much as Kelce on average in his deal, but you could argue Kelce is more important to what the Chiefs do. "His ability to get open, to read zone coverages and his chemistry with [Mahomes] makes that offense special," one AFC exec said. "And he's a better blocker than given credit for." With Kittle about to blow the door off the tight end market, Kelce will want to join the party.

Free agent/cut decisions
Sammy Watkins' $14 million cap hit in 2020 will dangle throughout the offseason. Watkins doesn't seem keen on a restructure of that three-year, $48 million deal signed in 2018. He used this week's media sessions to threaten sitting out 2020. But Watkins' presence highlights the Chiefs' philosophical approach of situational signings. Watkins might be a 600 yards-per-year receiver in Kansas City, but his speed can be deadly in a playoff setting, as Watkins showed with 114 yards in the AFC Championship Game.

2020 NFL Free Agency

Looking ahead to the offseason:
• Ranking the top 50 free agents »
• Biggest looming free-agent decisions »
• Top offseason needs for all 32 teams »
• Free agency coverage » More NFL »

"We've been a playoff team since 2013, so when you make moves, you're not making moves to make the playoffs, per se. You're making moves to get to the next level," Veach said this week. "I think Sammy, when we signed him, we knew Pat was going to be in his first year and we wanted to surround him with a lot of speed and talent. We know that when we get into these big games, they are going to double Tyreek or Travis, Sammy will get ideal matchups. So certainly there was that aspect of, when we get to that level, having weapons they can't take away will help us get there."

That doesn't mean Kansas City can't find that next, cheaper weapon in free agency, but at least it can justify keeping Watkins at that number for one more year if it needs. Pass rusher Alex Okafor enters the last of a three-year deal at a $5.95 million cap hit. Given his injury issues this year, a clean break might be needed.

Sammy Watkins didn't have the most consistent regular season, but showed his abilities in the AFC Championship Game. Jamie Squire/Getty Images
More offseason priorities
Improve inside linebacker. Anthony Hitchens is still productive, but isn't a speed guy and needs help. The game is trending toward rangy linebackers with 4.4 speed, in the mold of Steelers' Devin Bush. Reggie Ragland's free agency gives Kansas City a chance to restock the position.

Re-sign Kendall Fuller if the price is reasonable, then draft corner help.

The Chiefs have all offensive line starters under contract for 2020, but using a top-three-round pick on a talented interior blocker will be key for future years.

**Easy 6** · 02-08-2020, 07:47 PM

Nice read from ESPN, whoever wrote it is actually paying attention

Though I disagree that 15 will wait around for Watson’s deal and the CBA to sign up if Clark’s ready to get it done now... he’s not that conniving at all IMO

Thanks for posting, Brad

chiefzilla1501 · 02-08-2020, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by big nasty kcnut

Espn + read

Kansas City Chiefs
2019 record: 12-4, AFC champions
Average age of starters in 2019: 26.7 (eighth youngest in NFL)
Projected 2020 cap space: $16,825,621 (eighth least)
Big-ticket free agent: Chris Jones
Low-key important free agent: Kendall Fuller

.

Article started well but got a little off the rails toward the end. First, Okafor isn't on the final year of his deal. We're not cutting him this year. Secondly, Kelce is underpaid but he's still getting paid really well and you can't compare him to Tyreek. Kelce is still one of the highest TEs in the game and he got a long-term deal. Tyreek is not one of the highest paid WRs in the game and that's even with having a short-term deal. Tyreek got paid more to take less years.

If we're talking about cleaning our cap up, LDT is probably the guy if anybody to take a second look at. I wish I could say Hitchens too but we don't seem to have much flexibility there.

KC_Connection · 02-08-2020, 07:56 PM

How to get them back? Just play Mahomes.

Naptown Chief · 02-08-2020, 08:06 PM

We're going 19-0 next year. I'm assuming the 19th game is the Superbowl

JakeF · 02-08-2020, 08:39 PM

Trade Jones and Watkin, cut LDT.

That saves tons of cap space and gives us extra draft picks to fill holes.

comochiefsfan · 02-08-2020, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JakeF

Trade Jones and Watkin, cut LDT.

That saves tons of cap space and gives us extra draft picks to fill holes.

Veach can draft players that are good enough to replace Jones and Watkins for far cheaper.

Sammy was a free agent signing and Jones was a second round pick.

Don’t panic when we let these guys walk. This is how the Patriots have won for 20 years (aside from cheating).

Simply Red · 02-08-2020, 08:56 PM

easy - blow the whistle

ForeverIowan · 02-08-2020, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JakeF

Trade Jones and Watkin, cut LDT.

That saves tons of cap space and gives us extra draft picks to fill holes.

I'd be pretty surprised if Jones isnt back. You've got to keep that core of Jones/Clark/Mathieu together. If they could get a first and a third for Jones though that's tough. Draft Watkins replacement with the first and your starting center/guard with the third. I'm picturing Henry Ruggs III 4.2 speed to put next to Hill and Hardman its over.

TLO · 02-08-2020, 09:40 PM

Step 1 - Get Aaron fired
Step 2 - Bang his girlfriend
Step 3 - ???????????
Step 4 - Profit

Delano · 02-08-2020, 09:44 PM

Let nut start all game threads and we gonna repeat baby.

Nickhead · 02-08-2020, 09:45 PM

The Kansas City Chiefs: The Elephant in the Room...

People are worried about Mahome's upcoming contract extension. What they don't realise, is the Chiefs for the next however many years, will not need to have high end receivers like hill and hardman (sure it's nice having them, but), Pat proved while at Texas Tech, he didn't need number one pass catchers to put up 70 points. All the chiefs need to do is draft offensive line, and defense, and tinker with free agent running backs. Just my two cents

Delano · 02-08-2020, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nickhead

The Kansas City Chiefs: The Elephant in the Room...

People are worried about Mahome's upcoming contract extension. What they don't realise, is the Chiefs for the next however many years, will not need to have high end receivers like hill and hardman (sure it's nice having them, but), Pat proved while at Texas Tech, he didn't need number one pass catchers to put up 70 points. All the chiefs need to do is draft offensive line, and defense, and tinker with free agent running backs. Just my two cents

Umm, Hill and Hardman are going to be here lol. It’s the likes of Watkins and Robinson that are questionable for cap reasons.

LiveSteam · 02-08-2020, 09:49 PM

Speed at linebacker..
Yell louder at home games..
You cant be loud enough when the enemy has the ball at Arrowhead. Of course everyone knows this already.

**hometeam** · 02-08-2020, 09:49 PM

Win all the games, and then all the play off games.

Boom, problem solved.

02-08-2020, 07:23 PM
big nasty kcnut The pizza king of kansas Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Somewhere in the u.s.a. Casino cash: $-2039100	How to get the chiefs back to the super bowl Espn + read Kansas City Chiefs 2019 record: 12-4, AFC champions Average age of starters in 2019: 26.7 (eighth youngest in NFL) Projected 2020 cap space: $16,825,621 (eighth least) Big-ticket free agent: Chris Jones Low-key important free agent: Kendall Fuller Will the Chiefs ink Patrick Mahomes to a lucrative new contract this offseason? AP Photo/Charlie Riedel Three sneaky-good moves that got them to Super Bowl LIV Finding second-round gems Mecole Hardman and Juan Thornhill: Hardman was redundant with Tyreek Hill in the lineup, but the offense is built around speed for Mahomes to utilize, and Hardman's versatile, explosive skill set gave Kansas City a potent fourth option whose role will only expand. Thornhill was thriving before his ACL injury, an instinctual safety with quickness to match safety mate Tyrann Mathieu. Championship teams do their most draft damage outside of the first round, and this is the perfect example. Benching LeSean McCoy: The Chiefs didn't panic when Damien Williams started slowly and worked through injuries. McCoy's fumbling problem resurfaced, and at age 31, he can't offset the lack of ball security with enough home-run plays. Andy Reid smartly turned to Williams, and even leaned into the running game late in the AFC Championship game against Tennessee. Prioritizing the pass rush with the Frank Clark signing: The Chiefs could have spent big money on defensive tackle Chris Jones, who's a free agent in March, but instead they utilized that money by swinging a massive trade for Clark. When both are healthy and wreaking havoc, the Chiefs are hard to stop on third downs. Giving Clark $63.5 million in guarantees is steep, but the pass rush market is exploding by the year, and Clark is better than anyone available this offseason. He also claims to give Kansas City's defense something it desperately needed: "Swagger," he said. Biggest offseason questions When should the Chiefs pay Patrick Mahomes? Mahomes' two-year explosion intersects with a ballooning quarterback market at the perfect time. The one certainty is he'll surpass Russell Wilson's $35 million per year as the game's highest-paid quarterback sometime between now and next offseason. But both parties might have their reasons to wait. Many sources around the league believe Mahomes' agents will be eager to do a splash deal now. But waiting helps Mahomes for two reasons: He can let fellow 2018 draft-class mate Deshaun Watson set a new market, and he can get even more money with a fresh collective bargaining agreement if it gets done before March, which many people involved want. Meanwhile, the Chiefs have other pressing contract needs they could figure out with more time. Of course, stalling puts Kansas City under the mercy of a salary cap that's rising 7% or more per year. That means bigger payouts. EDITOR'S PICKS NFL experts predict: Which 2019 playoff teams will return -- and won't Kiper's 2020 NFL Mock Draft: Perfect fits for Tua, Burrow and Herbert 2020 NFL Power Rankings: Way-too-early offseason poll How to proceed with Chris Jones' future? This one is complicated, because as one NFL exec points out, sometimes Jones looks like the best player in football, and other plays he disappears. The 10 or so flashes per game will probably get him close to $20 million per year on a new deal. The Chiefs would have to get creative financially to make that work. And sources say Jones strongly considered a holdout last summer, so the chances of him playing nice on a franchise tag appear bleak. This could be headed for a sign-and-trade with another team, giving Kansas City a top pick to use on a new defensive tackle and/or continue to develop Khalen Saunders. How much will it cost to keep Travis Kelce happy? Kelce has two years left on his contract, but has outplayed his $7.25 million salary for 2020, and wants the third contract. Tyreek Hill makes nearly twice as much as Kelce on average in his deal, but you could argue Kelce is more important to what the Chiefs do. "His ability to get open, to read zone coverages and his chemistry with [Mahomes] makes that offense special," one AFC exec said. "And he's a better blocker than given credit for." With Kittle about to blow the door off the tight end market, Kelce will want to join the party. Free agent/cut decisions Sammy Watkins' $14 million cap hit in 2020 will dangle throughout the offseason. Watkins doesn't seem keen on a restructure of that three-year, $48 million deal signed in 2018. He used this week's media sessions to threaten sitting out 2020. But Watkins' presence highlights the Chiefs' philosophical approach of situational signings. Watkins might be a 600 yards-per-year receiver in Kansas City, but his speed can be deadly in a playoff setting, as Watkins showed with 114 yards in the AFC Championship Game. 2020 NFL Free Agency Looking ahead to the offseason: • Ranking the top 50 free agents » • Biggest looming free-agent decisions » • Top offseason needs for all 32 teams » • Free agency coverage » More NFL » "We've been a playoff team since 2013, so when you make moves, you're not making moves to make the playoffs, per se. You're making moves to get to the next level," Veach said this week. "I think Sammy, when we signed him, we knew Pat was going to be in his first year and we wanted to surround him with a lot of speed and talent. We know that when we get into these big games, they are going to double Tyreek or Travis, Sammy will get ideal matchups. So certainly there was that aspect of, when we get to that level, having weapons they can't take away will help us get there." That doesn't mean Kansas City can't find that next, cheaper weapon in free agency, but at least it can justify keeping Watkins at that number for one more year if it needs. Pass rusher Alex Okafor enters the last of a three-year deal at a $5.95 million cap hit. Given his injury issues this year, a clean break might be needed. Sammy Watkins didn't have the most consistent regular season, but showed his abilities in the AFC Championship Game. Jamie Squire/Getty Images More offseason priorities Improve inside linebacker. Anthony Hitchens is still productive, but isn't a speed guy and needs help. The game is trending toward rangy linebackers with 4.4 speed, in the mold of Steelers' Devin Bush. Reggie Ragland's free agency gives Kansas City a chance to restock the position. Re-sign Kendall Fuller if the price is reasonable, then draft corner help. The Chiefs have all offensive line starters under contract for 2020, but using a top-three-round pick on a talented interior blocker will be key for future years.
Posts: 19,357

02-08-2020, 07:47 PM	#2
Easy 6 pie is never free Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: the drivers seat Casino cash: $7775	Nice read from ESPN, whoever wrote it is actually paying attention Though I disagree that 15 will wait around for Watson’s deal and the CBA to sign up if Clark’s ready to get it done now... he’s not that conniving at all IMO Thanks for posting, Brad
Posts: 98,297	1 0

02-08-2020, 07:56 PM	#4
KC_Connection Perpetual Mediocrity Join Date: Jan 2006 Casino cash: $1712783	How to get them back? Just play Mahomes.
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02-08-2020, 08:06 PM	#5
Naptown Chief Banned Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Annapolis, MD Casino cash: $10002400	We're going 19-0 next year. I'm assuming the 19th game is the Superbowl
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02-08-2020, 08:39 PM	#6
JakeF MVP Join Date: May 2017 Casino cash: $9990400	Trade Jones and Watkin, cut LDT. That saves tons of cap space and gives us extra draft picks to fill holes.
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02-08-2020, 08:56 PM	#8
Simply Red You Sweetie! Join Date: Sep 2005 Casino cash: $2021206219 VARSITY	easy - blow the whistle
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02-08-2020, 09:40 PM	#10
TLO Life is changing.. Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: NW Missouri Casino cash: $-2400000	Step 1 - Get Aaron fired Step 2 - Bang his girlfriend Step 3 - ??????????? Step 4 - Profit
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02-08-2020, 09:44 PM	#11
Delano [b]Supporter[/b] Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: A Hypnagogic Landscape Casino cash: $7715015	Let nut start all game threads and we gonna repeat baby. __________________ A million CPilgrims face Mecca. Think of the power behind that fact. All logging in now. And bending. And praying. ChiefsPlanet is the angle at which realities meet. - Don DeLillo
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02-08-2020, 09:45 PM	#12
Nickhead EvOlVeD Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Blue Mountains, Australia Casino cash: $-740132	The Kansas City Chiefs: The Elephant in the Room... People are worried about Mahome's upcoming contract extension. What they don't realise, is the Chiefs for the next however many years, will not need to have high end receivers like hill and hardman (sure it's nice having them, but), Pat proved while at Texas Tech, he didn't need number one pass catchers to put up 70 points. All the chiefs need to do is draft offensive line, and defense, and tinker with free agent running backs. Just my two cents
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02-08-2020, 09:49 PM	#14
LiveSteam The Constitutional Choo choo Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: homeof43conferencetitles Casino cash: $-1494568	Speed at linebacker.. Yell louder at home games.. You cant be loud enough when the enemy has the ball at Arrowhead. Of course everyone knows this already. __________________ Progressivism.. The Politically Correct way of saying "I'm a Communist slash Nazi" depending on what the issue of the day is?
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02-08-2020, 09:49 PM	#15
hometeam Supporter Join Date: Jul 2011 Casino cash: $1601956	Win all the games, and then all the play off games. Boom, problem solved.
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