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AFC Notes: Mahomes, Turay, Steelers

April 25th, 2021 at 9:49pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It never appeared too serious, but anytime one of the faces of the league has surgery, it’s a big deal. Patrick Mahomes had a bad case of turf toe that hobbled him down the stretch, and he had surgery just after the Super Bowl. Speaking to the media recently, the Chiefs star provided an update on his health, and thankfully it sounds like everything is going smoothly. “I think I’m ahead of schedule myself,” Mahomes said, via Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. At the same time he made it clear they aren’t going to rush anything. “Obviously, we’re trying to be cautious. We’re not pushing me out there too soon. But I’m doing what I can. I’ve gotten out of the boot finally. It took forever. Now I’m trying to get back on the field and get that stuff working,” he explained.

I’m sure they’ll keep me on that same pathway and that hopefully I can do some stuff by the end of the offseason.” Whether or not he makes it back for offseason work in June, the Chiefs are apparently hoping to have him be a full-go for training camp in July.

Here’s more from around the AFC on a quiet Sunday night:

  • Speaking of surgeries, Kemoko Turay had another one. The Colts edge rusher underwent another procedure on his ankle after the season, GM Chris Ballard said this week, via Zak Keefer of The Athletic (Twitter link). “He was never quite right all year,” Ballard said. It’s a somewhat concerning acknowledgement, considering Turray was sidelined from October of 2019 until November of 2020 after breaking his ankle. His initial recovery took a long time, and it sounds like it never went according to plan. The 52nd overall pick of the 2018 draft flashed potential as a rookie with four sacks, but he only had one in seven games this past year. Indy is desperate for pass-rush off the edge so Turray could be a big contributor if he can stay healthy, but his 2021 isn’t off to a great start.
  • The Steelers cut linebacker Vince Williams in March, then re-signed him about a month later. We heard at the time he rebuffed other offers to return to Pittsburgh, and it sounds like he may have turned down more money. That’s because Williams’ new deal with the Steelers is only for the veteran’s minimum of $1.075MM, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic tweets. Financial terms previously hadn’t been disclosed. Williams had signed a three-year, $18.6MM extension back in 2018 before getting cut with a year remaining on that deal, so he’s taking a pretty significant pay-cut in 2021. The 2013 sixth-round pick started all 14 games that he appeared in last year, racking up 70 tackles and three sacks.

NFL Trade Rumors: Indianapolis ColtsKansas City ChiefsPittsburgh SteelersKemoko TurayPatrick MahomesVince Williams

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