Chiefs headlines for Monday, June 23
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4) The Broncos will snap the Chiefs’ streak of nine straight AFC West championships.
The Chiefs have reigned over the division since 2016 and they’ve barely been challenged during most of the years that quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been under center. Most of that success comes down to the Chiefs’ greatness but they’ve also been helped plenty by the ineptitude of the teams sharing the AFC West with them. Kansas City has been led by future Hall of Fame coach Andy Reid during that entire run of dominance. Every other team in the division has had at least four different head coaches within that same stretch. That churn appears to have slowed, though, with Pete Carroll (Raiders), Jim Harbaugh (Chargers) and Sean Payton (Broncos) now working in the AFC West. Of those three coaches — all of whom have either reached or won the Super Bowl — Payton is sitting on the most impressive team aside from the Chiefs. The Broncos have an elite defense, and it looks like they landed a franchise quarterback in Bo Nix in last year’s draft. We know Payton can coach up the offense, especially as the Broncos add more playmakers. We’ve also seen how Denver gave Kansas City fits last season in Arrowhead, with a blocked field goal keeping them from securing an impressive upset. Denver is good enough to win this division now. With the other teams also creating more resistance to the Chiefs — who went 5-1 in the AFC West after resting their starters in a Week 18 loss to the Broncos — Denver will earn its first crown since Peyton Manning was their quarterback.
NFL Players Returning From Injury We Can’t Wait to See in 2025 Training Camps | Bleacher Report
Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
As long as the Kansas City Chiefs have Andy Reid on the sideline and Patrick Mahomes under center, we’re going to enjoy watching them. However, the team’s 16th-ranked offense wasn’t quite as entertaining in 2024 as it has been in years past.
Part of the problem was a lack of difference-making targets at wide receiver. Kansas City saw flashes from then-rookie Xavier Worthy and got contributions from in-season addition DeAndre Hopkins.
However, the offense lost a lot when Rashee Rice suffered a season-ending LCL tear in Week 4.
At the time of the injury, the 25-year-old appeared to be on his way to being Mahomes’ newest go-to target. In less than four full games, he caught 24 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns.
At the end of Chiefs minicamp, Reid told reporters that both Rice and rookie tackle Josh Simmons should be healthy for the start of training camp, which will open on July 21.
“They’re both ready to go, yeah,” Reid said. “They actually got great work in in these camps here.”
With Rice healthy, the Kansas City offense will have a real chance to rebound in 2025. Simmons should boost Mahomes’ protection, Worthy will have another offseason of experience under his belt, and a slimmer Travis Kelce might provide a little more juice from the tight end position.
Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs offense look for answers as Super Bowl sting lingers | The Athletic
The aim, Mahomes noted this spring, is to rediscover the explosiveness that defined his early years as starter, when the Chiefs scared defenses every single Sunday. That wasn’t the case in 2024. For a 15-2 team quarterbacked by one of the all-time greats, they were stunningly mediocre on that side of the ball.
The reasons have been well-documented: the Chiefs were lousy on the offensive line and banged up at receiver. Kelce regressed. Mahomes, too, played a role: he looked mortal for most of the season, finishing with the fewest touchdown passes of his career (26), his lowest yards per attempt (6.8) and his lowest yards-per-game average (245.5). The Chiefs were 15th in the league in points scored, same as 2023, their worst finishes in that category since the Alex Smith era.
Travis Kelce has been one of the most popular players in the NFL over the past few years, and his popularity only got bigger after he started dating Taylor Swift. Being a popular player can definitely pay off, and Kelce found that out during the 2024 season when he earned $3.25 million in licensing royalties from the NFLPA.
Although Kelce got a big check, he wasn’t the NFLPA’s highest earner in 2024. According to Sportico, that honor belonged to Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who pulled in an eye-popping $4 million in royalties. McCarthy was the ONLY player on the NFLPA’s royalty list who cracked the $4 million mark for the 2024 season.
Five Notes and Storylines to Know Following the Chiefs Offseason Training Program | The Mothership
4. The competition at left guard will be something to watch in camp.
The camp battle that will likely receive the bulk of the attention will be at left tackle between Jaylon Moore and Josh Simmons, but the competition at left guard will be interesting to watch as well.
That spot, which was vacated by Joe Thuney, is up for grabs between Kingsley Suamataia and Mike Caliendo, who will each have an opportunity to show what they can do in camp.
In regard to Suamataia, who began last season as the Chiefs’ starting left tackle, he’s looking to build off a strong showing at left guard in Week 18 of last season.
“I [felt that] I did well [in Week 18],” Suamataia said. “I went up against one of the best defensive tackles [in the league], and I got some good words from him after the game.”
Suamataia was referring to Zach Allen, who finished fifth in the NFL with 75 pressures last season. He recorded just two in Week 18, and by all accounts, Suamataia carried the momentum from that experience into offseason practices.
“He has experience, and then he looks more comfortable there,” Reid said. “He seems to be picking it up well. Not that we’re going full-speed contact, but he has an opportunity to go against [defensive tackle] Chris [Jones], and that’ll surely help him for the season.”
CB Damon Arnette, 3 years out of NFL, signs with Texans | ESPN
The Texans have signed cornerback Damon Arnette to a one-year deal, the team announced Friday, as the 2020 first-round pick looks to make his return to the NFL following numerous legal issues.
Arnette most recently was in the UFL, playing for the Houston Roughnecks in 2025.
The signing comes shortly after, on June 10, a Colorado federal judge ordered Arnette to pay more than $78,000 to a dancer who said he assaulted her at a March 2023 house party. Arnette was accused of striking the woman and smashing her head into the ground.
Around the NFL
Niners TE George Kittle on DC Robert Saleh’s return: ‘Violence is coming’ | NFL.com
During his media rounds this week, 49ers tight end George Kittle was asked about the DC returning to the fold.
“Violence is coming is what I would say,” Kittle responded on The Rich Eisen Show, via Niners Nation.
Saleh helped build the 49ers’ defense into a force in the early years of Kyle Shanahan’s tenure before taking the New York Jets’ head coaching gig in 2021. DeMeco Ryans took over and kept the ship running for two years, but the job has been unsettled the past two seasons, with Steve Wilks and Nick Sorensen each taking a campaign.
Fred Smith, ex-Washington NFL team part-owner, FedEx founder, dies | ESPN
Fred Smith, a former minority owner of the Washington NFL franchise and the founder of FedEx Corp., a prominent sponsor across the landscape of sports, has died. He was 80.
Smith, the father of former Atlanta Falcons coach and current Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, owned a portion of the Washington franchise from 2003 until 2021.
“The Washington Commanders mourn the passing of Frederick W. Smith, FedEx founder and executive chairman,” the Commanders said in a statement. “Mr. Smith was a highly respected philanthropist and innovative businessman whose investments once included a minority stake in our team. He also proudly served our country in the US Marine Corps. We send our sincere condolences to Mr. Smith’s family and loved ones, as well as our friends across the FedEx organization.”
In 2003, Smith purchased a minority share of Washington’s ownership under Dan Snyder. Smith, Robert Rothman and Dwight Schar owned 40% of the franchise before selling their shares in 2021.
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Chiefs Roster: How well will Jaden Hicks replace Justin Reid in 2025?
The Chiefs didn’t bring in many new defensive players for a simple reason: all but one 2024 starter is back for 2025. The one exception is safety Justin Reid, who signed with the New Orleans Saints in March.
We should appreciate Reid’s Kansas City tenure more than we do. During his 2022 debut season, he was mostly used as a deep safety, which wasn’t his best spot. His biggest weaknesses were a lack of range and fluid athleticism, so using him to cover deep routes wasn’t ideal.
But near the end of that season, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo decided to put Reid’s size, explosive downhill athleticism and tackling skills to better use by deploying him closer to the ball. Playing the veteran safety in the box, on the line of scrimmage or in quarters shells, Spagnuolo put Reid in a better position to trigger against the run. He had a very good postseason run, showing he was worth the contract Kansas City had given him.
This was how the Chiefs used Reid in the next two seasons, although he also proved to be impactful against tight ends in man coverage. In 2023 — when Kansas City still had cornerback L’Jarius Sneed — the team primarily used man coverage. Reid’s ability to cover tight ends made it easier to use Sneed (and Trent McDuffie) for specific matchups. Reid’s run defense also made him an important part of nickel and dime formations, in which he could function as another linebacker.
So Reid will be missed in 2025. But fortunately, Kansas City continues to be very good at drafting defensive backs. The latest example is former Washington State safety Jaden Hicks, who was selected in 2024’s fourth round (133rd overall).
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Wrapped up offseason training. Next stop: St. Joe!
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) June 20, 2025
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