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“Brett Veach wasn’t the general manager in 2015 when they took Marcus Peters in Kansas City, but he was there,” NFL analyst Steve Muench said. “He was the co-director of player personnel. I think Mansoor Delane is going to have that same sort of impact this year. I think because he’s a rookie, teams are going to test him, and I think they’re going to get burned. I think that he is going to stand up to the test and do very well. I like him in that system with those coaches, give me Mansoor Delane [as DROY].”
Predicting Every AFC Team’s Record Based on the 2026 Schedule | Sports Illustrated
AFC WEST
Kansas City Chiefs: 12–5
It’s hard to believe the Chiefs will be a bottom-feeder again. Patrick Mahomes is on track to return in Week 1. They overhauled their run game by adding Kenneth Walker III and then used their first four draft picks on defense. The schedule has tough pockets, including a three-game road trip starting on Thanksgiving night against the Bills, Rams and Bengals before coming home to face the Patriots and 49ers. The Chiefs also open with two home prime-time games against the Broncos and Colts.
One good thing and one bad thing every NFL team will face in 2026 season | CBS Sports
Kansas City Chiefs
One good thing for the Chiefs. If Patrick Mahomes is ready to play in Week 1, the Chiefs will have a very real chance to be 4-0 heading into their Week 5 bye. In the first two weeks of the season, they get the Broncos and Colts, but both games are at home. In Weeks 3 and 4, they get the Dolphins and Raiders, who will both have a new head coach and a new starting quarterback. New head coaches have a winning percentage of just .389 in the first six weeks of the year over the past five seasons.
One bad thing for the Chiefs. The Chiefs have one of the most brutal stretches of any team this season and it starts on Thanksgiving in Week 12 and runs all the way through Week 17. For Turkey Day, the Chiefs have to travel to Buffalo and face the Bills on just three days rest. After that, they have another Thursday game against the Rams followed by a road game against the Bengals, and no, I’m not done.
Chiefs backfield makeover still lacks one thing Kareem Hunt provides | Arrowhead Addict
As of press time, Hunt remains a free agent running back, available to sign with any team. It’s possible that he’s aged out of the league after nine NFL seasons, that teams view him as an undesirable option with little tread left on the tires who should give way to younger options. While he might not be the spry, dynamic young back who was second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2017, he still holds value for a team like the Chiefs.
Last year, Hunt led the Chiefs in rushing with 611 yards and 8 touchdowns. He has 15 rushing scores over the last two seasons, since returning to Kansas City for the first time in five years following a five-year stint with the Cleveland Browns. He’s pushed through goal-line stands and frustrated stacked defensive lines over and over during his homecoming as a short-yardage specialist with an 85 percent conversion rate on third or fourth down attempts—best in the NFL.
That sort of player is exactly the missing piece for the Chiefs backfield. That’s not to say it should be Hunt, or even that the Chiefs want to use a roster spot on such a player. But Hunt has something the Chiefs do not have at a position that’s going to be more emphasized than ever before.
Rashee Rice isn’t facing suspension risk ahead of 2026 and is in play as a top-6 fantasy receiver. While his route tree won’t be confused with the top real-life talents at the position, his 18.8 PPR points per game in 2025 were the fifth-highest mark at the position. Xavier Worthy is an interesting post-hype bounce-back candidate, considering he was forced to play the entirety of 2025 with a torn labrum and ankle injury. Still, Tyquan Thornton is fresh off leading the NFL in yards per catch and hinders Worthy’s potential to emerge as the offense’s go-to deep-ball threat.
Travis Kelce looked to have a bit more juice than we’ve seen in recent years on his way to working as fantasy’s TE9 in PPR points per game in 2025. Getting a full season from Rice won’t help Kelce rack up his familiar low-aDOT targets, but the future Hall of Famer still possesses triple-digit target potential—not a bad deal at a TE2 price tag in fantasy land.
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Sources: Aaron Rodgers to sign 1-year deal with Steelers | ESPN
After another prolonged decision-making process, the four-time MVP is expected to sign a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers worth up to $25 million, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Saturday night. The deal is expected to include a base salary between $22 million and $23 million, with up to a few million more in incentives, according to sources.
Rodgers, 42, recently returned to the Pittsburgh area ahead of Monday’s OTAs and was seen getting ice cream with several teammates at a local shop Friday night.
He is expected to report to Monday’s OTAs, sources told Schefter.
Saturday’s decision comes weeks after the Steelers placed a UFA tender on Rodgers in a procedural move that would either give them a compensatory pick if he signed elsewhere before training camp or restrict his ability to sign with another team once camp begins.
As the league explained in March, the Accelerator program is back — and it’s open to everyone.
At the time, NFL senior V.P. and chief diversity and inclusion officer Jonathan Beane said that it’s “not us taking the direction of anyone on the outside” or a “reaction to D.C.”
The NFL canceled last year’s Accelerator program, prompting speculation that it was hoping to avoid scrutiny by the anti-DEI forces within the federal government.
According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, 34 coaches and executives are scheduled to participate. They include Chargers offensive coordinator (and former Dolphins head coach) Mike McDaniel and current (and former) Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
Many of the other coaches on the list have had head-coaching interviews. Per Fowler, Rams offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, Lions passing game coordinator (and former Giants interim head coach) Mike Kafka, Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde, Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, Vikings quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, and Broncos special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi appear on the roster.
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In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Andy Reid discusses Chiefs’ schedule with ESPN’s Rich Eisen
The Chiefs have a reputation for one of the league’s most grueling training camps under Reid, and the veteran coach noted that it may be a positive to get the break after the first month of the season. He also noted that the Chiefs will get extra rest between a pair of road contests in Weeks 13 and 14. Kansas City will face the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday December 3 — before next traveling to play the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday December 13.
“You just came out of a long training camp,” Reid explained. “You have an opportunity to play four games against good opponents. So, you take that time and you kind of rekindle it up. We get a mini bye down a little bit further with the two Thursday back-to-back games before we play the Cincinnati Bengals. You get a mini bye there for ten days to get yourselves ready to play against a good team. You take advantage of those times and get yourself going and ready for the rest of the season.”
