The latest
Missouri governor visiting Kansas City for discussions on retaining Chiefs and Royals | KCTV
As the state of Kansas continues its push to lure two of Kansas City’s professional franchises across the state line, Missouri leadership looks to be putting forward an effort to keep them in the Show-Me State.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson announced that on Monday he will hold meetings in Kansas City with Mayor Quinton Lucas and other community leaders from Clay and Jackson counties.
Their objective: “to discuss options to keep the Chiefs and Royals in Missouri.”
Missouri Governor Mike Parson poses with the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl LVII and LVIII Lombardi trophies at the Missouri State Capitol on June 27, 2024.(Office of Gov. Mike Parson)
Missouri’s renewed efforts come after Kansas approved a plan last week that would finance up to 75 percent of the cost of new stadiums for the professional football and baseball teams.
“We’re going to make sure that we put the best business deal we can on the line,” Parson told reporters while hosting the Chiefs’ two most recent Super Bowl trophies at the Capitol, where fans lined up for photos.
LeSean McCoy declares there is ‘no threat’ Chiefs in AFC | The Sun
McCoy believes too many are writing off the Chiefs ahead of kick-off in September.
“The Chiefs were winning with all these special players. Then they get rid of Tyreek Hill, right?” he continued.
“Nobody thought they would go back to the championship again. Then they do it again.
“Then in [2023] their team wasn’t that good to me. We were talking about the Chiefs looking so bad.
“And then, they win it again and we’re back in the same spot again.”
“We do this every single year and I’m tired of it,” he went on.
“I will not be fooled. Every year, we ask who will be the biggest threat for the Chiefs.
“And we always throw these teams around. We always do this. And what do the Chiefs do?
“They win, and they win, and they win again.
“Me myself, LeSean McCoy, I am not going to sit up here and play this game with the big dogs….there is no threat to the Chiefs.”
Underappreciated players on every AFC team | CBS Sports
Kansas City Chiefs: LB Drue Tranquill
Tranquill ended up being a key piece for the Chiefs en route to their second consecutive Super Bowl title last season, especially when fellow linebacker Nick Bolton missed time due to a wrist injury in the middle of the year. In his first season in Kansas City, he routinely made plays within Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, finishing the year tied for third on the team in tackles and tied for fourth in sacks, in addition to forcing two fumbles. Tranquill continued that production in the playoffs with 21 total tackles in four games.
Former Super Bowl champion says what needed to be said about Patrick Mahomes if he three-peats | A to Z Sports
With a back-to-back championship to his name as well, he has a chance to do something that even Tom Brady never did. He has a chance to win a three-peat, which, really no one in the NFL has ever done. The Chiefs would be the first-ever team to three-peat if they win it all this year.
If he does that, that should put him firmly in the discussion of the greatest player of all time. One ESPN Radio analyst thinks the same.
“If the Chiefs pull off that three-peat, listen, I mean, if he wins three championships in a row in the NFL, in a league that is designed more so than any of these other sports leagues to have parity – if he wins three in a row, given all of the different iterations of the Kansas City Chiefs that we’ve seen, then he’s the damn goat,” former NFL defensive lineman and Super Bowl champion Chris Canty said on ESPN Radio.
Canty, who won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants, and actually beat Tom Brady, seems to be right on this one. He has had some pretty wild takes in the past, but this one is right on the money. At some point, we have to quit counting the total rings between two players who played in different eras, and one of them, is seven years into his career, and the other has been retired for two years now.
Courtney Cronin: ‘The Chiefs are America’s team’ | Awful Announcing
The Cowboys have long been regarded as “America’s Team” due to their large fanbase. Total viewership numbers per game this past season back up that longstanding narrative, as they were also the most-watched team throughout the 2023 regular season.
However, one team that has rivaled the Cowboys in terms of fanfare as of late is the Kansas City Chiefs. They averaged 23 million viewers per game in the 2023 regular season, the second-most amongst teams (behind only Dallas).
What the Chiefs do have in their favor in comparison to the Cowboys is their success in the postseason as of late. Postseason games are naturally amongst the most-viewed games of the season every year. The Chiefs took part in three of the four most-viewed games of the postseason, including the most-watched U.S. broadcast ever in Super Bowl LVIII.
With this in mind, Courtney Cronin declared on First Take Thursday that the Cowboys are no longer “America’s Team”, saying that this distinction should now go to the Chiefs.
“I think it’s only fair since Stephen A. is not here that the Cowboys trolling can continue with this question,” said Cronin. “And the answer is absolutely not. They haven’t been America’s team since the last time they won a Super Bowl.
“You know who America’s team is? The Kansas City Chiefs. In an era that has been defined by often forced parity, you’ve got a dynasty. We don’t have dynasties in the NFL that often any more.”
Delta offering special flights for two Chiefs games | Fox4KC
Delta Air Lines has announced some exciting news for Kansas City Chiefs fans wishing to cheer on their football team on the road. Delta is now offering special non-stop flights before and after some of the NFL’s biggest matchups.
The airliner will offer non-stop flights specifically before and after the Chiefs’ road games against the San Fransisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills. The flights will be from Kansas City International Airport (MCI) to San Jose International Airport (SJC) and from MCI to Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF).
Around the NFL
Vikings CB Khyree Jackson dies in automobile accident | Pro Football Talk
Vikings cornerback Khyree Jackson has died. He was 24.
James Crepea, who covers Oregon for the Oregonian, has posted this on X: “Former Oregon CB Khyree Jackson, who was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings, died in an auto accident, his agent and former high school coach confirm.”
Oregon coach Dan Lanning has confirmed the news.
Jackson, a Maryland native, played for Oregon in 2023 after spending two seasons at Alabama. The Vikings selected Jackson in the fourth round of the 2024 draft.
Titans’ Amani Hooker: Adding CBs L’Jarius Sneed, Chidobe Awuzie means ‘I am able to do my job now’ | NFL.com
By adding this duo, the Titans’ pass defense — which ranked 18th last year in yards allowed — should be in a much better position to succeed going forward, with Hooker saying they’re already setting an example for the rest of the team.
“We have two dogs — we have Chido and Sneed out there,” Hooker said recently, via the team website. “I can’t wait to go full speed with them, with the pads on. I have been watching them make plays for the other team against us, so I am excited that they’re on our team now and it’s going to be a lot of fun.
“These guys have proven they can be in the right position to make the plays, and when I’m out there I am able to do my job now, and start searching for plays as they come to me. Knowing you have guys that are aggressive out there, it makes me as a safety have that same mentality that they have and bring it to our defense.”
With all these recent changes in personnel and scheme brought about this offseason, Hooker also said he views it as his responsibility as the veteran of his position group to help everyone else adjust, even if it’s just as new a scheme for him.
“It’s all about accountability, with me as well,” Hooker said. “This is all new for me — it’s a new style, a new defense, new scheme, so just like everyone else is learning, I am doing the same thing. But my job is to make sure everyone learns at a progressive level and we’re doing it together as a unit.”
Martavis Bryant: I have a lot of football left | Pro Football Talk
Bryant was reinstated last November from an indefinite suspension that was put in place while he was playing for the Raiders during the 2018 season. Bryant had repeated violations of the league’s substance abuse policy, but signed to the Cowboys practice squad upon being cleared to return last year.
The Cowboys signed Bryant to a future deal, but released him in May. During an appearance on Queen City News in Charlotte, Bryant, who played in the XFL in 2023, said that he still feels he can be a factor as a pro receiver.
“I got a lot of football left,” Bryant said. “Still love the game, never stopped loving the game. I had to take some time to reflect on myself and get my situation straight off the field. I did that. I put in a lot of work. There’s still so much left I can do. I know I can contribute to somebody that wants to give me the opportunity.”
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Carson Steele could end up being an Andy Reid fullback
Former UCLA running back Carson Steele joined the team as an undrafted free agent after the NFL Draft. At 6 feet and 228 pounds, he’s the biggest running back among the seven on the roster. A native of Center Grove, Indiana — a tiny unincorporated community south of Indianapolis — Steele got work at the position during the team’s offseason program. He’s even wearing Sherman’s old number: 42.
“Honestly, I feel real good about everything,” Steele told Johnson County, Indiana’s Daily Journal. “They’ve got me rolling in and out at running back and at fullback. As long as I’m out there, I’m cool with whatever. I feel like I can fit in somewhere.”
The 21-year-old started his college career at Ball State — about an hour and a half up I-69 — before spending his final year at UCLA. Practicing with NFL stars like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce felt like a dream.
“Man, it was just awesome to get that opportunity,” he said of the workouts in Kansas City, “and being able to learn from them. Everything was going so fast. You just had to focus on learning the new plays.”
And once in a while, on an unexpected throw. During one session, Mahomes flipped a behind-the-back pass to the young rookie.
“I almost wasn’t even paying attention,” recalled Steele, “and then he swung it behind his back. I was like, ‘Please don’t drop it. Please don’t drop it.’
“[Mahomes] yelled, ‘One-handed!’ He yelled it real loud.”
As directed, Steele brought it in with his left hand.
