Chiefs headlines for Tuesday, April 15
The latest
NFL Draft 2025: 4 NFL teams who could trade back for more picks | SB Nation
Kansas City Chiefs
It always seems like the Chiefs could end up trading back in the first round. More often than not, it’s because they’re picking at 31 or 32, but this year I think it would make sense for KC to trade back. If there’s a run on defensive tackles or offensive linemen early on in the draft (two of the stronger parts of this class), Kansas City could end up moving back and trying to stockpile Day 2 picks so they can bolster a roster that is aging rapidly. In addition, if a team really wants a QB (Cleveland) and wants to get the fifth-year option on their guy, Kansas City moving from 31 to 33 doesn’t seem like bad business at all.
2025 NFL Mock Draft: Full 7-Round Projections for Every Team | The 33rd Team
31. Kansas City Chiefs
Selection: Kelvin Banks, OT, Texas
Kansas City got outmatched by Philadelphia’s defensive front in the Super Bowl. The last time that happened to the Chiefs in a championship game, they came out swinging aggressively to rework the line.
Jaylon Moore isn’t necessarily a big-fish-free agent, although he was paid handsomely. Getting Kelvin Banks Jr. to help fortify the unit puts the Chiefs back in a position to control the line of scrimmage as they replace Joe Thuney and brace to potentially part ways with Jawaan Taylor after the season.
2025 NFL Mock Draft: Four QBs go in Round 1 as Saints pivot to a passer | PFF
31. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: T JOSH SIMMONS, OHIO STATE
After the Chiefs’ lackluster offensive showing in Super Bowl 59, it became apparent that upgrading their offensive line should be their top priority. Simmons has the ideal size for an NFL tackle at 6-foot-5 and 317 pounds with 33-inch arms. He had an injury-shortened season in 2024 but earned an 82.0 PFF pass-blocking grade before getting hurt.
Round 1 – Pick 31
Oregon • Jr • 6’5” / 311 lbs
The Eagles exposed the Chiefs’ offensive tackles in Super Bowl LIX. The 2024 All-Big Ten left tackle allowed the lowest quarterback pressure rate (1.6%) in the conference in 2024 (minimum 400 snaps) and surrendered just two sacks on 1,032 career pass-block snaps. Kansas City takes care of Patrick Mahomes here.
Unsung Heroes: Glenn Parker | The Mothership
This is the time of year that teams hand out their MVP and rookie awards. In many cases, the selections are obvious, but not always, especially when one goes to an offensive lineman.
And so it did to Glenn Parker.
Parker joined the Chiefs as a free agent in 1997 after spending seven seasons with the Buffalo Bills, where he was a starter on the offensive line until the team’s salary cap made him a casualty.
The Chiefs quickly came to terms with Parker when it appeared Trezelle Jenkins was unable to hold down a starting position on the offensive line.
No doubt, General Manager Carl Peterson and Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer breathed a collective sigh of relief when Parker, a veteran from some good Buffalo teams, stepped in to the vacant hole at right offensive tackle.
Ranking all 32 of the NFL’s current QB situations | Yardbarker
Unquestionably the NFL’s most accomplished active quarterback, Patrick Mahomes proved in the AFC playoffs he can still deliver when it matters. A woeful Super Bowl outing, however, tabled the premature debate against Tom Brady and Peyton Manning for all-time greatness. Mahomes has taken a step back since his 2022 MVP season, and it is not as though his pass-catching situation has been significantly worse than the Ravens or Bills’ setups. It can be argued Josh Allen did much more with less last season. This is still nitpicking for the Chiefs, who have an all-time great in his prime. They also added another experienced backup in Gardner Minshew.
Jon Gruden Will Replace Andy Reid As The Chiefs Head Coach | TWSN
Jon Gruden is the Chiefs’ Ideal Replacement for Andy Reid
While numerous people would be lining up to take the head coaching job in Kansas City, it is Jon Gruden that is the ideal candidate to take over for Andy Reid.
With Gruden, he and Reid are friends, knowing each other for 30-plus years when they worked together on the Green Bay Packers between 1992 to 1994. Reid would be able to know if it was Gruden taking over that the winning culture would be upheld, and that Gruden would continue the standard set by Reid due to their similar passion, and love for the game.
That passion was showcased from Gruden on a recent episode of the Fitz and Whit podcast, saying “I miss it, I’m scratching that itch, though, right here — I’ve had more people come in here in the past few weeks than probably any coach in the league. College guys, NFL guys. I’m studying every day, scratching that itch. I would like one more chance to do it because I thought we had that team on the right trajectory.”
Patrick Mahomes has even spoken glowingly about Gruden in the past for his offensive mind and the work he has done. The vote of confidence from Mahomes would help as well with Gruden being able to gain respect quickly around the Chiefs locker room, in addition to his outgoing personality.
Gruden knows the AFC West too from his time coaching the Raiders, and would overall be able to keep the Chiefs’ recent success consistent due to his experience as a head coach, and knowledge for the game as a whole. Having Reid retire would be a loss for the Chiefs, but Gruden as the replacement would provide the spark needed to keep the moral up for the future.
Around the NFL
Parsons had previously indicated that he would participate in offseason work, and new head coach Brian Schottenheimer recently noted he expected the edge rusher to be involved. However, with his contract situation still unresolved, there were questions about whether Parsons might change gears.
The linebacker enters the fifth year of his rookie contract set to earn $24.007 million. It’s anticipated that eventually, the Cowboys will make Parsons the highest-paid non-QB in the NFL, a title that Bengals wideout Ja’Marr Chase currently holds at $40.25 million per year.
Despite the linebacker’s previous hopes of a pact being wrapped up before free agency, a deal remains in limbo as we approach the 2025 NFL Draft, which begins April 24. During the Annual League Meeting, owner Jerry Jones suggested he had no urgency in getting Parsons’ deal wrapped up soon.
Source – Bears, CB Kyler Gordon reach 3-year, $40M extension | ESPN
Cornerback Kyler Gordon, the first player Poles drafted in 2022, agreed to a three-year, $40 million extension with $31.25 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Gordon, 25, is now the NFL’s highest-paid slot corner ($13.3 million average annual value) and is tied to Chicago through the 2028 season.
Two weeks ago at the NFL’s annual meetings, Poles said it was a priority to strike a deal with the former second-round pick, who totaled 75 tackles (including four for loss), five pass breakups and one forced fumble in 15 games during the 2024 season.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs unlikely to lock down Christmas Day, per NFL decision-maker
In 2023, the Chiefs lost 20-14 to the Las Vegas Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium. It famously became a late turning point for a club that went on to win the Super Bowl championship.
In 2024, the Chiefs traveled to play the Pittsburgh Steelers, which was a better result for Kansas City. Their 29-10 win over the Steelers clinched the top seed in the AFC, allowing them to rest starters against the Denver Broncos in Week 18. The game averaged 24.1 million viewers on Netflix.
On last Wednesday’s edition of “Always Gameday in Buffalo,” NFL vice president of broadcast planning and scheduling Mike North responded to the suggestion.
“I’m not sure that’s gonna become a tradition quite the way Thanksgiving is,” said North, shooting down the idea. “Think about what it took for that tradition, right? The Lions since the ‘30s, the Cowboys since the ‘60s. We didn’t commit to a third site on Thanksgiving when we brought that back about 20 years ago. We rotated that around. I imagine we’re gonna keep rotating Christmas around, too.”
Social media to make you think
The NFL’s young quarterbacks aren’t so young anymore. Baker Mayfield turns 30 today. In the next 21 months, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson will get there, too. https://t.co/w5vSvL88ZN
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 14, 2025
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