John Elway

More Reactions To Von Miller’s Extension

The Broncos and Von Miller finally agreed to an extension yesterday, with the new contract being worth $114.5MM over six seasons. We’ve already taken a look at some reactions to the contract, but let’s see what the Broncos organization had to say about the extension…

  • Executive VP of Football Operations/GM John Elway said Miller was rewarded for his past performance and his anticipated future production. “Von’s earned this contract not only for what he’s done in the past but for what we believe he’ll do in the future,” Elway told Aric DiLalla of DenverBroncos.com. “This was a long process that ended the way we all wanted—with Von being part of the Denver Broncos for many more years. Our team had a tremendous year last season, and the way Von performed the final few weeks was such a big part of our Super Bowl run. Going forward, we expect great things from Von not only on the field but with the responsibility he has as a leader on the team. I’m proud of how we’ve handled this situation and give credit to everyone on our staff who helped get this done.”
  • Head coach Gary Kubiak indicated that he was happy that the negotiations were now behind them. “I know this took a lot of hard work from John and Von to get this done, and we’re thrilled that Von is going to be a Bronco for a long time,” Kubiak told DiLalla. “I’ve known him since he was a kid in college. Most of all, I’m proud of how far Von’s come as both a person and a player. It’s a great day for him and the organization. We’re all excited to get back to work with Von as a leader of our team.”
  • Finally, Miller was thrilled with finally inking that extension. “I’m super happy and excited to be back with my teammates for the next six years,” he told DiLalla. “This is something I really wanted—to stay with the Denver Broncos. I am so appreciative and grateful for this opportunity. I want to thank Mr. Bowlen, Joe Ellis, John Elway and Coach Kubiak for making this possible. I’m also thankful for the way my teammates and our fans have supported me. I’m excited for the future and ready to get back to work.”
  • After looking through Miller’s new six-year contract, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com says (via Twitter) Olivier Vernon‘s five-year contract was the way to go. Fitzgerald understands the desire to get paid, but he believes these players are limiting themselves by playing for $18MM during the sixth year of the contract.

Reactions To Von Miller’s Deal

In a day packed with enthralling stories across the NFL, none was as important to a team’s long-term future as the Broncos’ record-setting contract agreement with all-world pass rusher Von Miller, the reigning Super Bowl MVP. After a lengthy and contentious battle over guaranteed money, the Broncos finally locked up the linebacker shortly before Friday afternoon’s contract deadline for franchise-tagged players. The defending champions inked Miller to a six-year, $114.5MM deal with $70MM in guarantees. Here’s a roundup of reactions to the accord:

  • While Miller was adamant about remaining a Bronco over the long haul, his threat to sit out the season in lieu of playing under the tag was not a bluff, according to agent Joby Branion. Having avoided that scenario, Branion praised Denver’s front office, calling general manager John Elway & Co. “extraordinarily smart people.” The two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback and now-title-winning executive is “the ultimate competitor,” Branion added (Twitter links via Troy Renck of the Denver Post).
  • Negotiations between the Broncos and Miller became serious July 7 for two reasons, writes Mike Klis of 9News: 1. The team needed to begin drawing up trade plans for Miller if if knew it wouldn’t be able to sign him by the deadline. 2. Elway had out-of-country vacation plans. Elway’s urgency led the Broncos to significantly raise their offer from $39.8MM in full guarantees over the first two years and $58MM in partial guarantees during the initial three to $42MM and $70MM, respectively. That increase was enough for Miller to sign on the dotted line and avoid a season-long holdout or a trade.
  • Largely as a result of their tug of war with Miller, the Broncos have established themselves as a brutal team to negotiate with, per Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. That stubbornness is sometimes to the Broncos’ detriment and sometimes to their benefit, notes Robinson, who reports that it’s the former in this instance. The Broncos could have re-signed Miller at a lower guaranteed amount in February, multiple sources told Robinson, who argues that doing so might have enabled them to retain quarterback Brock Osweiler via the franchise tag instead of having to use it on Miller. Without the tag tying him down, Osweiler departed for Houston in free agency, leading Denver to acquire derided signal-caller Mark Sanchez and use a first-round pick on Paxton Lynch.
  • With Miller under wraps, attention in Denver now turns to contract-year receiver Emmanuel Sanders, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post explains. As of last week, negotiations between the Broncos and Sanders went on the back burner while the club turned its entire focus to Miller. Sanders hopes to stay a Bronco, though, and Elway said in June that extensions for Miller, linebacker Brandon Marshall and Sanders by mid-July would be “ideal.” The only one of those three Elway hasn’t since re-upped is Sanders, so it seems like a matter of time for the 29-year-old.
  • As the cap continues to rise, Miller’s new pact will eventually set the standard for Raiders superstar defensive end Khalil Mack and Rams dominant defensive tackle Aaron Donald, Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post contends. Mack and Donald – who, like Miller, are among the league’s premier players – are controllable under their current deals for three more seasons. The two 2014 first-round picks have 2018 fifth-year options that, barring something catastrophic, their teams will undoubtedly exercise when the time comes.

John Elway, Von Miller Resume Talks

Earlier today, news emerged that the Broncos and Von Miller broke their silence recently. The conversation was evidently somewhat substantive, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reporting John Elway called the franchise-tagged linebacker in an attempt to break the ice.

Sources informed Schefter the Broncos are ready to get a deal done with Miller after an acrimonious offseason impasse. Elway spoke with Miller for around 10 or 15 minutes over the weekend on a call some said needed to be made, per Schefter, as the deadline to sign franchise-tagged performers looms in 10 days.

While making it clear to Miller the Broncos still regard re-signing him as a high priority, Elway reportedly informed the reigning Super Bowl MVP he will reach out to his agents this week in an effort to accelerate talks and secure a long-term deal.

Miller and the Broncos previously ceased communication after the sides could not agree on total guaranteed money last month. Denver offered its 2011 first-round pick a six-year, $114.5MM deal that satisfied Miller in terms of contract length and total value while falling short of his expectations for guaranteed money. The previous proposal contained $39.8MM in fully guaranteed money, a sum that falls short of Marcell Dareus‘ 2015 extension with the Bills. The offer, one the Broncos technically rescinded after Miller declined it, also did not provide Miller with as much guaranteed money within the first nine months as the Eagles included in Fletcher Cox‘s extension.

The overall parameters of the deal that could well stand as what Miller signs by next Friday in the event the parties agree would make him the highest-paid defender in league history, slightly surpassing Ndamukong Suh‘s 2015 Dolphins accord. Suh received $59.5MM fully guaranteed at signing, however, a number Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reported the Broncos are not up to at this point.

Elway also participated in a conference call with one of Miller’s agents, Joby Branion, over the weekend, according to Mike Klis of 9News. Elway has signed each of the three players the Broncos have tagged under his watch — Matt Prater (2012), Ryan Clady (2013) and Demaryius Thomas (2015) — and looks to be honing in on a potential final act of the Miller negotiations.

As it stands now, Miller has yet to sign the $14.26MM exclusive franchise tender and remains steadfast in his threat to sit out the season and enter 2017 without the possibility of being exclusively tagged next spring. Miller remains the Broncos’ most important player, which serves as his leverage in this standoff, and one that’s claimed two first-team All-Pro honors during a five-year career that’s included 60 sacks.

AFC Notes: Jets, Dolphins, Chiefs, Broncos

On the heels of his six-interception 2015 campaign, third-year cornerback Marcus Williams could be the Jets’ most underrated player, opines Brian Costello of the New York Post. The former undrafted free agent from North Dakota State and ex-Texans practice squad member showed off impressive ball-hawking prowess last season despite serving as a fourth corner and playing just 27 percent of the Jets’ defensive snaps, and he’ll spend the next couple months battling Buster Skrine for a starting job opposite Darrelle Revis. As a contract-year player, Williams stands to earn a significant raise over his $600K salary by next offseason if he proves capable of filling a bigger role – whether as a starter or slot corner – in 2016.

Elsewhere in the AFC…

  • There’s a chance Dallas Thomas will beat out first-round pick Laremy Tunsil as the Dolphins’ starting left guard, which would be a nightmare for the team’s fans, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Thomas – whom Pro Football Focus ranked as the league’s second-worst guard among 81 qualifiers last season – seems to be ahead of Tunsil in the pecking order after the rookie struggled in minicamp, per Jackson. Tunsil, the 13th overall pick, was a dominant left tackle at Ole Miss and acknowledged that it’s not easy to learn a new position and playbook.
  • Chiefs offensive tackle Eric Fisher, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2013 draft, sees himself “on a steady incline” after transitioning back to the left side midway through last season, he told BJ Kissel of the team’s website. Fisher, whose pro career hasn’t lived up to his draft status, added that his impressive performance against the J.J. Watt-led Texans in the Chiefs’ 30-0 wild-card round victory “almost seemed like a little bit of a turning point in my career.” Having picked up Fisher’s $11.902 fifth-year option for 2017 in early May, the Chiefs are also clearly encouraged by the progress he made last season. That option is guaranteed for injury only, though, so if Fisher stays healthy and fares poorly this year, Kansas City will have the opportunity to reverse course.
  • Broncos general manager John Elway‘s competitiveness could be a roadblock in the way of a Von Miller deal, according to Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post. Kiszla wonders if the Hall of Fame quarterback can put aside his hatred of losing to reach a compromise with Miller, the franchise-tagged linebacker who’s fighting with the Broncos over the lack of guaranteed money in their six-year, $114.5MM offer. The two sides have until July 15 to reach an agreement; if that doesn’t happen, the reigning Super Bowl MVP’s only choices would be to sign the $14MM-plus franchise tender or continue sitting out.

Broncos GM John Elway On Sanchez, Lynch

The Broncos are the defending champions, but they’re not the odds-on favorites in Las Vegas to repeat. This offseason, the Broncos saw future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning retire and while promising backup Brock Osweiler left via free agency. As if finding a new solution at quarterback wasn’t enough of a challenge for GM John Elway, the team also had to deal with the departure of defensive end Malik Jackson, who inked a six-year deal worth up to $90MM with JacksonvilleJohn Elway (vertical)

After an eventful winter and spring, Elway sat down with Jason Cole of Bleacher Report to discuss the tough decisions that he made and the challenges ahead for Denver. Here are some of the highlights:

On the challenge of finding a new quarterback

Elway: There are challenges every year. That’s why this year in free agency and all that, there are challenges every year trying to keep things together. So that’s always a challenge. Was it a big surprise that we were in that situation? Yeah, because I thought…we drafted Brock [Osweiler] when we got Peyton [Manning] because we didn’t know exactly what Peyton was going to be. But also, if [Manning] wasn’t in good shape, we were going to a guy who was going to be here for a long, long time. Now, that didn’t work out, so it was a matter of, you have to fix the issue. There are going to be issues every year.

[RELATED: What will it take for the Broncos to extend linebacker Brandon Marshall?]

On taking his time in the QB search

Elway: Well, the first thing we did is we got Mark [Sanchez] and I feel good about Mark. So by getting Mark—and we’re a lot higher on him than a lot of people are—so once we landed Mark and he was here, we felt better about the situation. It was a matter of bringing somebody in for competition. But of the guys who were out there at the time, there were no difference-makers. So why would I overpay for a guy who wasn’t going to be a difference-maker?

On the athleticism of rookie quarterback Paxton Lynch

Elway: He’s very consistent with the way he throws it, the release, all that stuff. Very consistent and athletic. He can move around.

On Mark Sanchez and whether he fits the Broncos’ offense

Elway: I feel good about Mark. I think he’s got a chance. If a guy is talented who can move around and do different things…he’s had success in the playoffs. He’s been to the AFC Championship Game. He has won playoff games. Those are all things that you wonder about guys who haven’t done it and you don’t know how they will react when they get there. He’s proven he can do that. Has Mark ever been in the perfect situation to prove what he can do? A lot of times, quarterbacks don’t get in the right systems that fit them. That’s a big part of this. So I think this is the type of offense that will benefit Mark and knowing what they did in New York and what they did in Philadelphia. He moved all around. You get him with the right coach in the right system and good people around him and you have a little chance.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Broncos, 49ers Closing In On Colin Kaepernick Trade Agreement?

4:43pm: The 49ers and Broncos have the parameters of a trade for Kaepernick in place, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. Potentially the only thing standing in the way is the Broncos and Kaepernick agreeing on a restructured contract.

The teams are continuing dialogue regarding this trade, which will likely involve a Day 2 or Day 3 draft pick or a combination of the two, trying to bridge the financial divide, Schefter reports. However, what level of draft pick(s) the Broncos surrender in this prospective deal won’t be a stumbling block in completing the trade, according to Schefter.

1:40pm: The Broncos appear to still be interested in adding Colin Kaepernick to their undermanned stable of quarterbacks despite the 49ers locking in his $11.9MM salary for this season. John Elway and the sixth-year passer have met multiple times, including a summit on Thursday at the sixth-year GM’s Denver-area house, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Kaepernick and Elway have met at least twice since March 15, Branch reports, with the quarterback spending extensive time in Colorado rehabbing from three surgeries.

The 49ers have granted Kaepernick’s agents Jason Bernstein and Scott Smith permission to seek a trade, according to Branch, which clears the Broncos of tampering charges.

Elway and Kaepernick’s meetings have helped the parties become acquainted, and Kaepernick’s contract has come up during the meetings, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Elway’s Thursday visit with the 28-year-old quarterback came as Kaepernick’s $11.9MM base salary became guaranteed. The Broncos currently possess less than $2MM in cap space, and any deal for Kaepernick depends on the signal-caller agreeing to reduce his contract, Troy Renck of the Denver Post tweets.

We heard Thursday that the Broncos want Kaepernick at approximately $7MM this season. Branch reports that Denver’s brass has been at work trying to restructure Kaepernick’s contract, which calls for him to carry a $14.9MM cap number this season. Only Demaryius Thomas ($15.2MM) carries a higher figure going into the 2016 season on the Broncos’ roster.

If Kaepernick doesn’t agree to restructure, the 49ers would have to pick up part of his contract to facilitate a trade, Mike Klis of 9News reports. San Francisco’s quiet free agency has the team sitting at $53.8MM in cap room — the most in the league. Klis also writes that the 49ers’ sudden accelerated interest in allowing Kaepernick to seek a path out of the Bay Area stems from the team beginning its offseason program Monday; the Broncos don’t begin theirs until April 18.

Denver has a quick way to clear $8.9MM from its books by trading or releasing Ryan Clady. The sides have met multiple times since the Combine, Renck reports, with the longtime left tackle remaining on the Broncos’ cap sheet for $10.1MM.

Clady previously agreed to discuss a restructure, but nothing’s materialized. In the meantime, the Broncos added Donald Stephenson and Russell Okung, leaving Clady without a logical place on the team.

The Broncos have just Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian under contract at present, with the 49ers employing Blaine Gabbert at a much cheaper rate. Although money isn’t an issue for the 49ers right now, there appears to be a significant divide between the team and Kaepernick despite Chip Kelly‘s public overtures toward keeping him.

Despite quarterbacking the team to back-to-back playoff NFC championship games, Kaepernick was benched last season and hasn’t been able to consistently replicate the play that helped the 49ers reach those destinations over the past two seasons.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Brock Osweiler

Broncos general manager John Elway said Thursday afternoon that pending free agent quarterback Brock Osweiler isn’t a candidate for the franchise tag. He also doesn’t seem like a candidate to receive a mega-contract – not from the Broncos, anyway.

“When you look at where the salaries are on quarterbacks, either above $15 million or below $5 [million]. There’s no middle class of quarterbacks. So that’s where you hope you could get a fair deal with Brock’s people and his representatives,” Elway told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

Elway believes Osweiler will put himself in position to hit the jackpot in the future if he re-signs with the Broncos at a reasonable rate this Brock Osweiler (vertical)year.

“I think we do have a system that fits Brock very well,” he said. “So for Brock to have continued success, I don’t think will be, this won’t be his big contract, but this will be a contract where he’ll be able to make very good money and be able to prove himself that could lead to that next big contract.”

It’s fair to say Osweiler hasn’t shown enough on the field to warrant top-caliber money, but he’s young (25), was once a relatively high draft pick (a second-rounder in 2012), and possesses elite size (6-foot-8, 240 pounds). With all of that considered, Osweiler could exceed expectations on his next contract if he hits the free agent market March 9 and finds a QB-needy team willing to overpay for a slightly seasoned commodity.

While Osweiler showed hints last season of becoming the long-term solution under center for Denver, his numbers over eight games – 61 percent completion rate, 7.15 yards per attempt, 10 TDs, six picks – were unremarkable. Further, he wasn’t part of the Broncos’ playoff run after a knee injury knocked him out of action in Week 17. Peyton Manning, whose foot injury originally opened the door for Osweiler in November, took the reins back and never gave them up. Manning served in a game manager role throughout the postseason as the Broncos’ defense steamrolled its way to a Super Bowl title.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Broncos Rumors: QBs, Trevathan, Clady, RBs, Davis

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is still undecided about whether to retire or return for his age-40 season, general manager John Elway said at the combine on Thursday (Twitter link via Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post).

“He still needs more time, so we’re going to afford him that time,” said Elway, who met with Manning a couple nights ago, per Jhabvala.

Elway and Manning will meet again in a week or two, Lindsay Jones of USA Today tweets.

“The ball is in his court,” Elway said.

Elway also touched on some of the Super Bowl champions’ other key issues Thursday. Let’s dive in…

  • The Broncos will not place the franchise tag on Manning’s potential successor, Brock Osweiler, according to Elway (Twitter link Jones). They would like to lock him up to a new deal, though. “We’re really not in a hurry. Brock knows what we have to offer and we still have a great deal of interest in Brock,” Elway stated (Twitter link via Jhabvala).
  • Linebacker Danny Trevathan will “probably have to test the market,” Elway said (per Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com). Denver doesn’t seem likely to retain Trevathan, who is in position to cash in after accruing 109 tackles, two picks and ranking as Pro Football Focus’ 10th-best linebacker last season.
  • Elway has spent most of his draft prep focusing on the offensive line, he said (Twitter link via Jones). He’ll also meet with offensive tackle Ryan Clady‘s agent on Friday to discuss restructuring his contract, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). Clady indicated earlier this winter that he’s open to reworking his deal to stay a Bronco. Injuries have plagued the four-time Pro Bowler, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL and has sat out 30 of Denver’s last 48 regular-season games. Clady, 29, is scheduled for cap charges exceeding $10MM in each of the next two seasons.
  • In addition to Clady, the Broncos might also attempt to rework edge rusher DeMarcus Ware‘s contract, Legwold writes. Ware is currently set to count $11.67MM against the Broncos’ cap for his age-34 season.
  • Running back will be a position the Broncos look at in free agency and the draft, per Elway, who added that C.J. Anderson “had a good year.” On free agent-to-be Ronnie Hillman, Elway stated, “[W]e’ll see what happens” (Twitter links via Jhabvala).
  • The Broncos will allow tight end Vernon Davis, whom they acquired from the 49ers last fall, to test the free agent market, according to Elway. “But that’s not to say we don’t want him back,” he added (Twitter link via Renck).

AFC West Notes: Chargers, Broncos, Raiders

Dean Spanos and San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer were scheduled to meet today in Spanos’ home, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Acee also reports the Chargers hired Fred Maas as a special adviser to Spanos, with the new hire being brought on to help the Chargers and San Diego place a measure on the November ballot regarding public funding for a new Chargers stadium.

Spanos wanted Maas to serve as the city’s liaison for stadium negotiations in 2014. After Maas withdrew his name from consideration, the Chargers’ chairman perhaps not coincidentally, expressed doubt to sources of Acee about a Chargers stadium solution in San Diego.

Special counsel Mark Fabiani will remain a part of these talks, Acee reports.

Here’s the latest coming out of the AFC West, starting with the Super Bowl champions.

  • As father Bum Phillips would say, son Wade Phillips has finally “kicked down the door” with his Super Bowl win. The Broncos defensive coordinator helped to lead one of the league’s most fearsome defenses in 2015, but it’s a union that almost didn’t happen. Head coach Gary Kubiak‘s first choice for the job was actually Vance Joseph, formerly a Bengals assistant who recently left Cincinnati to become the Dolphins’ DC. In fact, John Clayton of ESPN.com hears there is a clause in Phillips’ current contract that could have made him a consultant if Joseph would have joined the team as coordinator in 2016.
  • Von Miller is expected to receive the franchise tag, and Broncos GM John Elway is confident the sides can work out an extension agreement, Arnie Stapleton of the Associated Press reports. “You never know, but we don’t want him to [leave]. We want Von to stay in Denver and we’re going to do everything we can to work it out,” Elway told media, including Stapleton. Miller, who will be 27 before next season, could command a deal potentially well north of the six-year, $101MM pact Justin Houston signed with the Chiefs last season. Houston’s negotiations became contentious at times. Super Bowl 50’s MVP told media, including Stapleton, he expects “peaceful” talks with the Broncos.
  • Although Roger Goodell told media the league was working to help Oakland and San Diego find stadium solutions to remain in their markets, league executive VP Eric Grubman told the San Jose Mercury News (via Mark Purdy) he had not met with Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf and doesn’t have plans to do so. Purdy took Goodell’s brevity regarding Oakland the commissioner does not hold the Raiders‘ current troubles in high regard. Mark Davis confirmed the Raiders are negotiating another one-year lease at O.co Coliseum, but the Raiders are a bit behind the Chargers at this point in terms of finding a long-term solution in their city.

Zach Links contributed to this report

West Notes: Rams, Chargers, Raiders, Broncos, Chiefs

The Rams won’t fire Jeff Fisher and GM Les Snead after this season, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com report (Twitter link).

Despite a 25-35-1 record in more than four seasons, Fisher and Snead won’t be discarded even as the franchise potentially relocates to Los Angeles. Fisher’s job would have been one of the key positions out there post-Black Monday, with the speculation the Rams will be moving back to the west coast.

Schefter did mention that Fisher could step away on his own accord (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk), although the 57-year-old coach who has just six playoff appearances in 21 seasons with the Oilers/Titans and Rams probably wouldn’t receive a third head-coaching opportunity if he did so.

Fisher is a Los Angeles native who played at USC before being drafted by the Bears in 1981.

Here’s some more from the Los Angeles situation and additional notes from the Western divisions.

  • The Rams and Chargers remain in the lead in the LA pursuit, Schefter reports, with the Raiders still in the race but lagging behind. Schefter notes the NFL shutting down the San Diego market would be hard to believe; it’s housed an NFL team since the Chargers moved from Los Angeles in 1961. Both note the NFL apparently planned ahead for a scenario in which these fanbases say goodbye to their teams prior to the end of the season, with the Rams playing their season’s final home game tonight and the Chargers doing so Sunday.
  • Some coaches and executives have taken issue with John Elway‘s decision to hire Gary Kubiak, knowing what it meant for Peyton Manning‘s role with the Broncos, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com reports. Elway initially proposed a $10MM paycut for Manning, who eventually took a $4MM reduction, but Mortensen notes that was a message to leave town, with Kubiak’s style ill-suited for the 39-year-old quarterback’s skill set. A defensive coach mentioned Denver’s once-prodigious offense is much easier to game-plan for now that Kubiak’s in charge compared to Adam Gase and his more-nuanced attack. “Kubiak is a good offensive mind, a well-respected guy, but it’s about as elementary as it gets,” this coach said. “He did a good job in Baltimore but he also had a veteran offensive line, maybe one of the three best in the NFL. I think he has to take a serious look that it’s 2015 going on 2016.” This coach also pointed out Manning supplanting Brock Osweiler might not make that much of a difference considering how many hits the Broncos’ offensive line, which houses two of Pro Football Focus’ worst tackles in Ryan Harris and Michael Schofield, are allowing Osweiler to take.
  • Justin Houston received a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews today that revealed a hyperextended knee, per Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder (via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star, on Twitter). “I don’t want anyone to be alarmed that he saw Dr. Andrews. We knew it; we’re good with it, Burkholder told Paylor (Twitter link). Houston remains without a return timetable, with reports circulating he will miss the regular season’s remainder. Andrews also told the Chiefs’ top active player the swelling in his knee has decreased.