Kansas City Chiefs fans were overjoyed when the team officially secured the signing of former first-round wide receiver Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown to a favorable one-year deal, aiming to fill the speed role vacated by Tyreek Hill. But it’s not just the fans who are thrilled; quarterback Patrick Mahomes is already gearing up to hit the field with his new weapon.

Reportedly, Mahomes and Brown are planning to convene in Texas, a familiar offseason training ground for Mahomes, to build rapport and kickstart their preparations for what could potentially be a historic third consecutive Super Bowl appearance.

Marquise Brown, who spends much of the offseason in Texas, said he will be in the state later this week to have his first passing-&-receiving session with Patrick Mahomes.

— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) March 18, 2024

This signing marks a win-win situation for both parties involved. Brown’s skill set perfectly aligns with what the Chiefs offense has been lacking, and his eagerness to join the reigning Super Bowl champions suggests a willingness to prioritize winning over financial gains.

While Brown’s recent stats might not be as stellar due to injuries and subpar offensive environments in Arizona, his past accomplishments speak volumes. With over 1,000 receiving yards in 2021 and a total of 21 touchdowns in his first three seasons, Brown has demonstrated his playmaking abilities.

Now, in an explosive offense helmed by arguably the best quarterback in the league, Brown has the opportunity to shine once again.

However, the Chiefs still have gaps to fill in their receiving corps and are expected to remain active in both the NFL draft and free agency to address these needs. Despite the optimism surrounding Brown’s potential impact, Chiefs’ General Manager Brett Veach must remain vigilant and prepare for all scenarios.

As Mahomes and Brown gear up to hit the ground running, anticipation builds for what promises to be an electrifying season ahead. Fans eagerly await the synergy between Patrick Mahomes’ arm and Brown’s speed, anticipating the thrilling moments they’ll create on the field together.

Making a major switch at quarterback — a matter that cleared up Friday via the Kenny Pickett trade — the Steelers are in need at wide receiver after moving Diontae Johnson and Allen Robinson off the roster. An ex-Robinson teammate will be part of the plan. The team is bringing in Van Jefferson, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac. Giving Jefferson a one-year deal, Pittsburgh is eyeing the former second-round Rams draftee as a depth piece. A second-generation NFL receiver, Jefferson is changing teams for the second time in six months. The Rams moved Jefferson’s rookie contract to the Falcons early last season; the deal did not move the needle for an Atlanta team that struggled to find a reliable complement for Drake London at the position. Jefferson, 27, only caught 20 passes for 209 yards between his Rams and Falcons stints last year. Jefferson’s most notable NFL work came back in 2021, when he helped a Rams team that changed WR2s midseason. Odell Beckham Jr. effectively replaced Robert Woods, with the latter suffering an ACL tear days after the OBJ addition. Jefferson stayed the course and totaled 802 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He added nine receptions for 102 yards in the playoffs, collecting a Super Bowl ring soon after. A knee surgery kept the Florida alum on the shelf for much of 2022. He totaled 369 yards in 11 games in 2022 — snagging the game-winner in Baker Mayfield‘s memorable debut — for a disappointing Rams team. The Johnson trade solidifies George Pickens as their top wide receiver. While his long-range work would stand to benefit new QB1 Russell Wilson, the Steelers will add more pieces here. Only slot player Calvin Austin resides as a notable auxiliary option beyond Jefferson. Considering the franchise’s success adding at this position in the draft, that should be considered a mortal lock given this class’ depth.

While whispers continue to suggest the New England Patriots are willing to sell the third overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft for a handful of assets, NFC East reporter Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports wrote for a piece published Tuesday afternoon that fans shouldn’t “bet on” the Washington Commanders trading out of the draft’s second overall selection. Specifically, Vacchiano seemed to pour cold water over the idea that Washington could move down in the draft order and target Michigan Wolverines signal-caller J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy has repeatedly been mocked to the New York Giants at pick No. 6, but it’s thought the Minnesota Vikings could move up to No. 5 to steal McCarthy from Big Blue. “The problem comes when scouts are asked what he does great,” Vacchiano said about McCarthy. “Few have much of an answer to that. In fact, several used the term ‘game manager’ when describing him, which hardly seems to be a trait worthy of a top-five pick. Teams can win with a quarterback like that … But the second overall pick is a place for a special prospect.” As for the Commanders possibly trading down with McCarthy in mind, Vacchiano indicated that new Washington general manager Adam Peters and new team owner Josh Harris wouldn’t sign off on the club passing on either North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye or LSU signal-caller Jayden Daniels at No. 2. “The player they take will be the centerpiece of their ‘recalibration’ project,” Vacchiano added about the Commanders. “They’ve got to take the best quarterback they can get. And they know their fans won’t settle for anything less.” Just about everybody believes the Chicago Bears will make USC quarterback Caleb Williams the first pick of this year’s draft. In a mock draft updated on Monday, Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports linked Washington with Daniels. On that same day, Josh Edwards of CBS mocked Maye to the Commanders. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. somewhat cautiously predicted on Tuesday that Washington will choose Daniels at No. 2. “I don’t think anyone has a great handle on which quarterback the Commanders prefer,” Kiper explained. “I have Daniels over Maye in my position rankings — both are in my top six overall — and McCarthy is a distant fourth. There’s no consensus around the league, though, which makes this pick the pivot point in the draft.” A different team still has time to make a so-called “Godfather offer” for overall pick No. 2 that Washington can’t refuse, but it sounds like the first two choices of this year’s player-selection process won’t be sold ahead of the night of April 25.

Yankees re-assign promising utility prospect to Triple-A

The Yankees have already lost Oswald Peraza this spring, and veteran infielder DJ LeMahieu suffered a significant bone bruise after fouling a ball off his right foot on Saturday. Already down two infielders, the Yankees desperately need more support and could look to the free agent or trade market to find some. However, there was an opportunity to promote 23-year-old Jorbit Vivas, who had a solid spring after being acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers this off-season. Vivas spent 109 games in Double-A last season, hitting .280/.391/.436, including 12 homers, 54 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases. He was eventually promoted to Triple-A, where he played 26 games, hitting .225/.339/.294. Clearly, he saw a regression in production, but Vivas has solid upside and the Yankees are excited about his growth this upcoming campaign. The Yankees Re-assigned Vivas on Monday Unfortunately, Vivas was reassigned to Triple-A Scranton on Monday despite the fact that LeMahieu and Peraza are both dealing with injuries that could knock them out for a few weeks. Jorbit played 14 games this spring, hitting .217 with a .419 OBP, including two homers and four RBIs. Defensively, Vivas is more suited for second base but does have experience on the hot corner and played a few reps at shortstop for the Yankees this spring. As a utility option, he certainly represents a cheap alternative, but the Yankees have been scouring the market for veterans. They were linked to Kikè Hernandez and Amed Rosario, but both signed with other teams before the Yankees could finalize a deal. Expect general manager Brian Cashman to be busy over the next few days looking for infield support, especially after sending the Vivas down to the minors.

Vikings Probably Won’t Be Compensated for Falcons + Kirk Cousins…

Kirk Cousins has departed for Atlanta to join the Falcons. In his introductory press conference, he essentially acknowledged tampering by revealing his contact with members of the training staff and players of the team prior to Wednesday’s official start of free agency. The NFL is currently investigating the matter. But plenty of questions have risen surrounding what penalties the Falcons could potentially face if they are found guilty. Recent reports suggest that the Falcons may be facing the loss of a first-round pick, as indicated by ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio. “One executive with a team not attached to the situation suggested that, if Cousins actually met with the Falcons’ head athletic trainer… the Falcons should lose a 1st-round draft pick.” Mike Florio – ProFootballTalk Will Minnesota Vikings receive Atlanta Falcons’ seized draft picks for tampering with Kirk Cousins The precedent has already been set in the past, for tampering when the 2016 Kansas City Chiefs lost a 3rd round pick and just last season when the Dolphins lost a 1st rounder for tampering with Tom Brady. Neither team had to transfer their picks to a rival team. While it hasn’t happened yet, the NFL rulebook does state a “transfer” of picks as a possible punishment for tampering. Specific Penalties: Any violation of this Anti-tampering Policy will subject the involved club and/or person to severe disciplinary action by the Commissioner. In such cases, in addition to all other penalties provided in the Constitution and Bylaws, the Commissioner may award or transfer a selection choice or choices and/or deprive the offending club of a selection choice or choices, and/or may fine the offending club and/or may fine or suspend with or without pay any involved individuals as appropriate. The League office will promulgate to all clubs the details of any penalties imposed for tampering. NFL Anti-Tampering Policy The policy goes on to state that the Vikings’ compensation could come down to whether or not they officially “certified” the complaint in time. What does that entail? No idea… The Commissioner may award compensation to the offended club if it certifies a complaint that initiates an investigation against the offending club. If the offended club declined or otherwise failed to certify such a complaint after the facts of the matter became known or reasonably should have become known to the offended club, the offended club may not receive any potential award of compensation. NFL Anti-Tampering Policy Losing a first-round pick (#8 overall if they lose this year’s) would certainly hurt the Falcons badly, and it would not get Kirk off on the right foot with fans in Atlanta, who are pumped about what the team could add with the No. 8 overall pick. But if it were to transfer to the Vikings, or even if they were to get another selection further down the draft board than No. 8 overall, that would make the sting of losing Kirk hurt a lot less… depending on how high the pick is. The Vikings could see some compensatory picks sent their way for how things unfolded this offseason, and they could be as valuable as third-round selections. Most likely, those comp pics will be that of the standard variety, for free agency losses like Kirk, Danielle Hunter and others. Not because of the Falcons tampering… but this could be the most egregious case of tampering yet, so we can’t rule any of it out. Jeremy Maclin was a depth wide receiver when the Chiefs tampered with him. Tom Brady never ended up with the Dolphins and they still lost a 1st rounder. Kirk Cousins was the most valuable free agent on the market and the team that landed him is the team that is being accused of tampering. So don’t give up hope yet, is what I am saying… but don’t hold your breath either.