The Jaguars‘ current agreement to play one home game per season in London expires in 2016, but it sounds like team owner Shad Khan, along with the NFL, may be getting ready to make an announcement on that subject. According to Conor Orr of NFL.com, Khan said he didn’t “want to scoop anything,” but hinted that an announcement regarding a new agreement for the Jaguars’ international games may be forthcoming.
As we wait for news on the Jags, let’s round up a few more AFC notes…
- Speaking to reporters today in London, Bills head coach Rex Ryan acknowledged that Kyle Williams‘ knee injury is “significant,” as Joe Buscaglia of WKBW tweets. Williams is currently expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks with a PCL issue, though Ryan’s comments may suggest that the injury is even more serious.
- Reports last week indicated that Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey was expected to undergo a second operation, potentially jeopardizing his season. However, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Pouncey didn’t undergo a second procedure on his broken left fibula, and Tomlin is still expecting the veteran center to return this season, writes Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- In a piece for CBSSports.com, former agent Joel Corry eyes 12 teams with potential quarterback instability on the horizon, identifying the Broncos, Chiefs, Jets, Texans, Browns, and Bills as the AFC teams without a long-term option set in stone.
- Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin, who remains on the non-football injury list for now, appears ready to return to practice today, and could be activated to Buffalo’s 53-man roster if and when the team determines he’s ready, says Mike Rodak of ESPN.com.
Should the Chiefs’ season worsen, that Alex Smith contract will become one of the game’s biggest albatrosses. The 2011 49ers proved a loaded supporting cast could lift Smith to a Super Bowl-contending quarterback, but Kansas City entered this season with a talented roster and playoff expectations. The fact that, even before Jamaal Charles’ injury, Smith placed the kind of limitations on the Chiefs’ offense that now includes a No. 1 receiver does not bode well for the franchise’s future. But that $14.1MM guarantee is brutal. Despite guiding KC to the ’13 playoffs, Smith could be as vilified as Matt Cassel by season’s end.