AFC Notes: Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders, Derek Carr

Broncos

• The Denver Broncos received approval for $100 million in stadium upgrades. (Mike Klis)
• The funds will be used for videoboards, hospitality areas, technology, concessions, team store and elevators. The project will get started after the season and is expected to be concluded before 2023. 

Chiefs

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes believes the return of WRs Mecole Hardman and Kadarius Toney will provide a big boost to their offense. 

“I think getting Mecole and KT back will just add another dimension,” Mahomes said, via ProFootballTalk. “I mean, obviously they can do the jet sweeps and stuff like that but just adding that speed to the field it makes teams have to honor it. Obviously, Marquez [Valdes-Scantling] has done a great job of filling that role and so has Skyy [Moore] but just to continue to add speed — to any offense — that those two guys have, I think it’ll open up everybody else because you have to really account for those two guys on every play.”

• Chiefs’ recently signed DT Brandon Williams said his decision came down to Kansas City and the Giants. In the end, Williams elected to sign with the Chiefs in order to stay closer to family. (Pete Sweeney)

Raiders

The Raiders have a potential out from QB Derek Carr‘s contract following this season. Regarding his contract, Carr said that isn’t thinking about his future past this season.

“To be honest, during the season I don’t,” Carr said, via Tashan Reed of The Athletic. “I’ve always tried my best to — as I’ve gotten older in my career — just eliminate all of those things. … Whenever you have a bad stretch of games or a losing stretch of games or anything like that, that stuff’s going to happen. And so, for me, I don’t. I should’ve been traded for eight years now, you know? It is what it is. We have passionate fans; they’re passionate people that they just want to see us win. And so, when we don’t, obviously they get mad. And they think, ‘Oh, then we got to fix something,’ and stuff like that.”

Raiders HC Josh McDaniels said that Carr has proven to be a hard worker and thinks he’s benefitted from playing in multiple systems throughout his career. 

“Derek works really hard,” McDaniels said. “He’s very smart. I’ve said it before — unfortunately or fortunately, however you want to look at it, he’s learned a handful of systems in his lifetime. Honestly, I don’t think Derek really made a big deal out of that because I think for him it’s, ‘Hey, this is the process. I’m going to learn it. I’m going to learn how to try to master the things that are important.’ He put in a lot of time and effort in the spring, in the summer and he understands what we’re trying to do. And, again, you can only be as far along as you are in the first year, but I have, obviously, no qualms with what he’s attempted to do in terms of trying to learn it and understand it. I think he’s at a pretty fairly high level right now.”

Raiders TE Darren Waller, who was designated to return from injured reserve this week along with WR Hunter Renfrow, thinks that their return is “extremely important” for the rest of the season. 

“It’s extremely important,” Waller said. “The vision of this team had all of us out there. We all know that. We just got to do the best we can with the time that we’ve got left and make the most of it.”