When Travis Kelce signed a new contract with the Chiefs in early March, it put an end to league-wide speculation about whether he’d return for a 14th season.
It wasn’t quite as dramatic a moment for the Chiefs, however. During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show this week, Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach discussed the timeline for Kelce’s decision and revealed that it was made a lot earlier than anyone outside the organization would have guessed.
“We played our last game of the season in Vegas last year, and when we got back we have player meetings and exit interviews,” Veach said. “It was a cool deal where Trav came in and he basically said ‘I’m going to take a few weeks off here, but I’m not going out like this, let’s stay in touch and let’s figure something out. . . . We certainly knew ahead of time. While free agency and there was still some questions in the air on whether or not he’d return, we knew basically the day after our last game. He made it known to coach Reid and to me that there was no way he was going out like this.”
Veach said he wasn’t going to speculate about whether this will be Kelce’s “last dance,” but said he thought being there as quarterback Patrick Mahomes rehabs from a torn ACL is important to Kelce and that the duo is motivated to make sure that last season is a blip in an otherwise wildly successful run in Kansas City.
Kurt Warner went from going undrafted to playing quarterback in the NFL and his son is trying to follow the same path.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that E.J. Warner has accepted an invitation to participate in the Broncos’ rookie minicamp as a tryout player this weekend. Warner was at the Chiefs’ minicamp last weekend for the same purpose.
Warner started 10 games at Fresno State last season and went 192-of-277 for 2,030 yards, 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He was Rice’s starter for the 2024 season and spent two seasons as the starter at Temple to kick off his college time.
Warner’s father famously worked in a grocery store and played in the Arena League and NFL Europe before getting his chance to start for the Rams in 1999. He won the MVP and the Super Bowl that season, which makes for a tough act to repeat so his son will likely just be focused on earning a spot on a roster or practice squad to start his own career.
After agreeing to sign D.J. Reader, the Giants have also added another defensive tackle to their roster.
New York has claimed Zacch Pickens off of waivers, according to the league’s daily transaction wire.
The Chiefs let Pickens go on Monday.
Pickens, 26, appeared in three games for Kansas City last season. He recorded five total tackles.
A Bears third-round pick in 2023, Pickens appeared in 26 games for Chicago over his first two seasons. He’s recorded 44 total tackles with two tackles for loss, four QB hits, and 1.5 sacks in his career.
The Chiefs have signed a draft pick.
The NFL’s transaction report for Monday shows that the team signed running back Emmett Johnson. The fifth-round pick agreed to a four-year contract.
Johnson earned some praise from head coach Andy Reid for his work in last weekend’s rookie minicamp. Reid spoke highly of Johnson’s ability as a receiver and pass blocker while saying that the rookie has “a little bit” of LeSean McCoy to his game.
The Chiefs drafted Johnson after he spent the last four years at Nebraska. He led the top division of college football in all-purpose yards per game in 2025 while finishing fourth with 1,451 rushing yards.
Many were surprised when running back Kenneth Walker III left the Seahawks roughly a month after winning the Super Bowl LX MVP award. Walker was not.
Appearing on Monday’s #PFTPM, Walker said he knew during the 2025 season that he wouldn’t be re-signing with Seattle.
“I would say probably, if I’m being honest, probably like sometime during the season,” Walker said. “You know, things ain’t working out how I was expecting to, and that’s all right. It worked out for the team. So sometime during the season and then we get to free agency, pretty much knowing like you weren’t gonna be there no more.”
Whether it was the contract negotiations and/or the overall vibe he was getting, Walker knew it was going to end.
In Kansas City, Walker is just getting started, with a contract that pays out $27 million guaranteed over the first two years. And the magnitude of the deal sends a clear message. For that kind of investment, the Chiefs plan to use Walker extensively.
“The team appreciates me over here and, like, being able to come somewhere there where you’re appreciated,” Walker said. “I definitely feel like I’ll be getting the ball a lot, be making plays and, yeah, I’m excited for this season.”
Unlike the three other Super Bowl MVPs who promptly signed elsewhere in free agency (Larry Brown, Desmond Howard, and Dexter Jackson), Walker has landed with an elite team. A team that had a clear need at the running back position. A team that is retooling as it attempts to win its fourth Super Bowl since the 2019 season.
With a pair of 1,000-yard seasons despite not being the workhorse in the Seattle running game, Walker could be on the verge of doing a lot more in Kansas City. The contract amounts to a clear indication that the Chiefs believe that he can, and that he will.
