Arrowheadlines: Questions over future of Arrowhead remain unanswered

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49ers should learn from Chiefs: stop making Super Bowl excuses | USA Today

Yet Thursday seemed to illustrate a – maybe the – major difference between these proud franchises and might even be the reason that the Kansas City Chiefs beat San Francisco in both of those Super Bowls while winning another and appearing in five overall since the start of the 2019 campaign.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl MVP, was asked about the challenge of resetting and resuming the relentless football grind after a Super Bowl defeat – February’s blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles preventing K.C. from becoming the first team to capture three successive Lombardi Trophies.

The top NFL veteran players who switched teams either in free agency or by trade during the 2025 offseason.

“I feel like I focus every year, because I know how special of a run that we’re on and how many years left I’ll have with all these great players and a great team,” said Mahomes. “And every team is different and you don’t want to miss an opportunity.

“When you lose a Super Bowl, I think there’s sometimes in those workouts – you might be a little tired – (but) you have that extra, added motivation to finish even harder or finish even stronger.

Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes Downplays Playing Flag Football at Olympics | Bleacher Report

NFL owners unanimously approved players to participate in the Olympics during their spring meetings in Minneapolis last week, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Mahomes has previously noted that he may not be throwing his name into the ring for the Team USA flag football squad at the Olympics.

“There’s the want to, I just don’t know if my skill set is what is required for flag football.”

– Patrick Mahomes on if he wants to play Flag Football in the 2028 Olympics pic.twitter.com/4dBbWXcIkx

— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) August 23, 2024

It’s certainly understandable to see Mahomes’ reasoning here. Plus, there’s also the risk of him getting hurt at the Games as he continues his Chiefs career.

So while Mahomes may not be in the talent pool, Team USA could certainly have its pick of elite quarterbacks elsewhere in the NFL.

Eight young NFL players whose development could propel their teams | NFL.com

3 – Xavier Worthy · Kansas City Chiefs · WR

Yes, the Chiefs must fix their offensive line problems, with left tackle being a major priority. They also need to see Worthy, their first-round pick in the 2024 draft, continue the development he displayed throughout last year and into the postseason. We still don’t know whether or not Rashee Rice will serve a suspension because of his involvement in a car crash in Dallas last spring. Rice also is returning from a major knee surgery, and the Chiefs’ third receiver, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, has a history of dealing with injuries (he missed 14 games last year with a shoulder/collarbone injury). Worthy was the player who emerged when those setbacks occurred, and there likely will be stretches when he’s the top receiving option this fall (especially with star tight end Travis Kelce turning 36 in October). Worthy proved that he was more than a speedster who could stretch defenses, as head coach Andy Reid put more responsibilities on him with each passing week. He finished the season with 59 receptions, 638 yards and six touchdowns, but his postseason contributions were far more notable. He led the team with six receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown in an AFC championship win over Buffalo. He also was one of the few positives in a 40-22 loss to Philadelphia in Super Bowl LIX, as he finished with eight catches for 157 yards and two scores, most of which came in garbage time. Those efforts indicated how much Worthy grew over the season, and how high his ceiling could be moving forward. Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes have had little success at returning that offense to its more explosive ways over the last two years. The emergence of Worthy would help that cause immensely.

Watch Chiefs’ George Karlaftis practice martial arts with Tamba Hali | Chiefs Wire

Recently, star defensive lineman George Karlaftis was seen practicing martial arts under the tutelage of Chiefs legend Tamba Hali in a video that made the rounds on social media.

Hali, who became one of the NFL’s most accomplished sack-masters during his 12-year tenure in Kansas City, can be seen observing Karlaftis’ progress while the former Purdue Boilermaker spars with a partner identified as Dave Smarr.

A renovated Arrowhead or a dome in Kansas? | The Athletic

The Chiefs and Royals, who play their games at Kauffman Stadium, share a lease at the Truman Sports Complex that runs through Jan. 31, 2031. While the Royals want to play in a new ballpark before the end of the lease, the Chiefs will play all of their home games at Arrowhead through the 2030 season.

“Both options are very much in play,” Hunt said of renovating Arrowhead or building a dome in Kansas. “Really, our timeline is driven more by having enough time to do the renovation work or the construction so that we can be in the new or renovated building in the summer of 2031. To really comfortably stay on schedule, it would be best to have some direction by the summer.”

When Donovan reflects on the Chiefs’ first misstep, he can pinpoint the day immediately: Feb. 28, 2024.

At the time, the Chiefs were the NFL’s reigning back-to-back champions, the first team to accomplish that in two decades. Two weeks after their overtime victory in Super Bowl LVIII, Donovan and Hunt were back at Arrowhead to present the future of the 53-year-old venue. Hunt unveiled renderings of what they hoped would be the next major renovations of Arrowhead, changes that would improve suites, video boards and club lounges. The renderings also showed other enhancements — suites behind the end zones, sideline clubs and concourses on the upper deck covered.

“The response was less than positive,” Donovan said. “I believe that partially people walked into that presentation wanting to see a dome and a Power & Light (entertainment district) built next to it. They didn’t see that, so it’s just, ‘What is this?’

2025 NFL Rosters: Strengths, weaknesses, X-factors for every lineup| PFF

4. Kansas City Chiefs
Biggest strength in 2024: Defense

The Chiefs finished 2024 with the second-highest-graded defense and placed in the top 10 for PFF run-defense grade, PFF pass-rush grade and PFF coverage grade. The only other team to accomplish that feat was the Eagles, who vanquished Kansas City in Super Bowl 59.

Biggest weakness in 2024: Patrick Mahomes‘ supporting cast

Mahomes ranked just eighth among quarterbacks in PFF overall grade (83.9) last season, making it just the second time in his seven years as a starter that he graded below 90.0 or was outside the top five in grading. Much of that had to do with the Chiefs’ relatively average offensive environment. Kansas City placed just 17th in PFF pass-blocking grade, 15th in PFF receiving grade and 15th in PFF rushing grade in 2024.

Rashee Rice faces another lawsuit from street-racing crash | NBC Sports

Via Fox 4, Kayla Quinn alleges that she and her son sustained physical and mental injuries when their car was struck during the race involving Rice. They sued both Rice and former SMU football player Theodore Knox.

Quinn and her son seek between $250,000 and $1 million in damages.

Two other lawsuits were filed against Rice and Knox in April 2024. They separately have been charged with multiple crimes.

The prosecution is pending. The league does not plan to take action against Rice until the criminal case has ended.

Originally, Rice had hoped to have a strong second season, to resolve the prosecution during the 2025 offseason, and to accept a suspension this season. His knee injury, coupled with the slow pace of the prosecution, has altered that strategy.

Around the NFL

Sources – 49ers finalizing deal for Eagles DE Bryce Huff | ESPN

The San Francisco 49ers’ defensive line renovation continues as they are working to finalize a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for edge rusher Bryce Huff, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The trade, which is expected to be finalized next week after the calendar turns to June, includes a restructured contract for Huff, sources told Schefter. Huff was slated to make $16.75 million in fully guaranteed money in 2025 but the Eagles will take on $9.05 million in salary, leaving the Niners to handle the remaining $7.95 million this season once the deal is completed. San Francisco is expected to send a middle-round draft pick to the Eagles for Huff.

Upon landing in San Francisco, Huff will be reunited with defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who was Huff’s head coach with the New York Jets for three seasons. There, Huff had his best NFL season in 2023, posting a career-high 10 sacks and 68 pressures on 312 pass-rush snaps. That 21.8% pressure rate was the best in the NFL, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs Free Agency: Looking back at 2024’s moves Arrowhead Pride

One re-signing that paid off handsomely for the Chiefs (and the player) was bringing back defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton. Kansas City gave Wharton its entire four-year qualifying allotment to pay him $2.74 million. Since it was a Veteran Salary Benefit contract, only about half of it counted against the cap.

Wharton then turned in a career-best 6.5 sacks in 2024. The former undrafted free agent from Missouri S&T parlayed that performance into a three-year contract worth $54 million with the Carolina Panthers.

Ultimately, the Chiefs’ inability to win a third consecutive Super Bowl will likely cause most to judge the preceding offseason as a failure. There were signs that the team did not learn enough from its failed “run it back” approach following its Super Bowl LIV victory, which led to a crushing defeat a year later.

In 2024, Kansas City prioritized keeping a front seven that led the team to 57 sacks in 2023. But a year later, a largely similar unit registered only 39.

The Chiefs also neglected to add talent to the secondary. While the 2023 version was paramount in securing a third Super Bowl in five seasons, the depth of the unit did not stand up to injuries down the stretch — although all of its key contributors were available for the postseason.