Patrick Mahomes Kansas City Chiefs QB, agrees to a 1-year deal with……
According to an Associated Press source, the Chiefs and tight end Irv Smith Jr. have reached a one-year agreement, providing quarterback Patrick Mahomes with a seasoned tight end to complement Travis Kelce.
Due to the fact that the deal cannot be signed until Wednesday, the first day of the new league year, the source talked to the AP under the condition of anonymity.
The Chiefs were looking for someone to partner with Kelce in multiple tight end sets since Blake Bell and Jody Fortson, who have been supporting him, are poised to become free agents. At a crucial position in the Kansas City offense, where Kelce will turn 35 next season and Bell will turn 33 before Week 1, Smith, 25, also makes them younger.
Noah Gray, a tight end, is another player on the Chiefs roster. Last season, he recorded 28 receptions for 305 yards and two touchdowns.
Throughout his four years in Minnesota and Cincinnati, Smith has battled ailments. He went on injured reserve in 2021 due to a torn meniscus in his knee and again in 2022 after suffering an ankle injury.
But when he’s been on the field, he’s been effective. Smith has 109 receptions for 973 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career. He has started 21 of 49 games in his career, including six of the Bengals’ 12 games from the previous season. In 13 games for the Vikings in 2020, the former Alabama standout recorded 30 receptions for 365 yards and five touchdowns, marking his greatest season to date.
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AP source: Cade York, the kicker, is set to rejoin the Browns. The AP source reports that the Buffalo Bills have signed Will Clapp to a one-year contract in order to bolster their interior offensive line depth. The former draft pick was cut by the Chiefs after the season.
After their offense faltered during their Super Bowl run, mainly because of a lack of output at wide receiver, the Chiefs are anticipated to strengthen it in free agency. However, they have spent much of their time thus far maintaining the second-best defense in the league.
Linebacker Drue Tranquill was signed by the Chiefs to a three-year, $19 million contract last week. They signed a five-year, $158.75 million contract with Chris Jones on Monday, elevating the All-Pro lineman to the status of one of the highest-paid defensive players in the NFL.
Jones, who has already won three Super Bowl rings, stated, “I think winning another ring with the Chiefs franchise was the most essential aim.” Jones will attempt to become Kansas City the first team to win three straight Lombardi Trophies.
Jones stated, “It was crucial to me to return.” In Kansas City, I wished to leave a lasting impact. That was the only thing I said to myself all year long—quite quietly—about wanting to be here with this group. I had no other motivation to play.
It was Jones’s first time speaking with media in Kansas City since he signed the contract on Tuesday.
“Deep down, I never had any plans to quit,” Jones stated. Despite this, he persevered through Week 1 of the previous season when the parties were unable to come to a long-term agreement before the last year of his contract was about to expire.
He remarked, “I always felt that something could be done.” “It took a lot of patience on both ends and a year of communication between my team and the Chiefs to get this done.”