AFC Notes: Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs, Raiders, Davante Adams

Broncos

• PFF Doug Kyed talked to a number of league sources to find out what the Saints could get for former HC Sean Payton if he decided to return to coaching next year. New Orleans still has his rights, so any interested teams would have to trade for Payton. 
• A coach hasn’t been traded in a long time since a flurry of high profile ones in the early 2000s. But sources told Kyed they’d expect the Saints to be able to get at least one first-round pick for Payton, maybe more. 
• As to where Payton could end up, Kyed mentioned there aren’t looking like there will be a ton of vacancies this year. But the Broncos and Chargers were highlighted as possibilities if they continue to underperform expectations in 2022. The Cowboys have been linked to Payton for years but current HC Mike McCarthy has the team at 4-1 right now. 
• The Broncos hosted five long snappers for workouts on Tuesday including Thomas Fletcher, Joe Fortunato, Brian Khoury, Garrison Sanborn and Rex Sunahara. (Aaron Wilson)

Chargers

• Chargers HC Brandon Staley said WR Keenan Allen (hamstring) participated in individual drills on Wednesday. (Daniel Popper)
• Staley also mentioned OT Trey Pipkins (MCL) did not practice on Wednesday but should return later this week. (Popper)

Chiefs

Regarding Monday’s roughing-the-passer call against the Chiefs that prevented a strip-sack by DL Chris Jones, Patrick Mahomes responded that officials must use better “common sense” to judge penalties in that situation. 

“There are certain situations it shouldn’t be called and it gets called, but it’s like anything in the league, man,” Mahomes said, via Logan Mullen of 105.3TheFan. “Those guys are watching film and trying to do their best to call the game the best way possible and not affect it. There’s got to be a little bit of common sense along the lines of Chris Jones. He stripped the ball, I know some of his body weight lands on him, but he breaks the ground and he was holding the ball in the other hand. So there’s only so much you can do as a defensive lineman to try to get off the quarterback whenever you have a clean shot on him.”

Mahomes thinks that referees will continue to learn how to best officiate roughing-the-passer calls. 

“There are definitely times where it should be called… It’s a hard penalty to call, but the refs continue to learn. They’ll continue to learn from their mistakes and continue to officiate the games the best way possible.”

• Chiefs HC Andy Reid said second-round S Bryan Cook (concussion), CB Rashad Fenton (hamstring), and CB Chris Lammons (hip pointer) are not expected to practice on Wednesday.  (Nate Taylor)
• Reid added first-round CB Trent McDuffie (hamstring) and K Harrison Butker (ankle) returned to Wednesday’s practice.  

Raiders

Raiders HC Josh McDaniels said he “wholeheartedly” supports WR Davante Adams as a person after the receiver shoved a photographer following Monday’s loss to the Chiefs. 

“Wholeheartedly as a person and a human being. He’s a great guy. I know that was an unfortunate situation. We obviously don’t want any of our guys to be doing anything like that. He knows that. He’s very well-aware of that. But I know the person and I don’t think there was any intent behind it on his part,” said McDaniels, via Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. 

McDaniels said that the organization will fully cooperate with the NFL’s investigation of the situation. 

“Whatever they ask of us and whatever they need from us, obviously we’ll comply,” McDaniels said. “I’m not sure exactly where we are at this moment, but we’re kind of wait and see at this point.”

Adams apologizes for the matter and said he felt overcome with frustration after the photographer ran directly in front of him. 

“I want to say sorry for that,” Adams said. “That was just frustration mixed with him literally just running in front of me.”