AFC Notes: Broncos, Chiefs, Creed Humphrey

Broncos

Broncos GM George Paton explained why the team opted to keep three quarterbacks as part of their initial 53-man roster.

“We think highly of the quarterback room,” Paton said, via Around The NFL. “I really liked the process. I thought the competition brought out the best in really all of the quarterbacks. All these guys support each other, they compete and they work well together. We looked at last year [and] I think almost half the league kept three quarterbacks. With the rule changes, we think that number will increase. We’re glad to have all three.”

Paton believes that QB Zach Wilson will eventually be a starting quarterback in the NFL.

“No doubt. He has starter tools all over,” the GM responded. “It’s been pretty cool just watching him with really no expectations. He can just go out there and play football. He has all the traits. He has all the starting traits in the world. He’s still working through some things. You can see the good and the really good last week in the game. He can throw it as good as anyone in the league. I mentioned before, he’s smart and he’s a great kid. He has starter traits all over. I do think he will be a starter in this league.”

Chiefs

• Chiefs GM Brett Veach implied WR Marquise Brown won’t miss much time with a rib injury and said the timeline is similar to former WR Tyreek Hill‘s injury in 2019. (Matt Derrick)
• Kansas City HC Andy Reid announced Brown will not play in Week 1 against the Ravens. (Derrick)
• Reid talked about how they will use RB Samaje Perine: “He’s been a phenomenal third down back. The opportunity to have a guy in here that can do the run game and the pass game . . . That is a great addition.” (Derrick)

Creed Humphrey

• The Chiefs signed C Creed Humphrey to a four-year, $76.9 million extension with $50.315 million guaranteed and $35 million fully guaranteed. The deal includes an $18 million signing bonus and base salaries of $1.125 million, $6.94 million, $14.25 million, $17.24 million and $17.24 million. (Over The Cap)
• The base salaries in 2024 and 2025 are fully guaranteed. The 2026 base salary becomes fully guaranteed on the third day of the 2025 league year and $10 million of the 2027 base salary is guaranteed if he’s on the roster on the third day of the 2027 league year. (Over The Cap)
• There are up to $1.02 million in per-game active roster bonuses in 2027 and 2028 along with annual workout bonuses. (Over The Cap)