AFC Notes: Browns, Chargers, Patriots

Browns

• According to Peter King of TheMMQB.com, the Browns received very little trade interest in their No. 4 overall pick.
• In total, the Browns heard from four teams, but nothing was ever serious. King says that one of these teams offered a 2019 first-round pick as part of the deal, and King suspects that this club was the Cardinals.

Chargers

Chargers TE Hunter Henry says that he’s ready to step up following the news that the team will be moving on from long-time TE Antonio Gates.

“When I came in, it can be an intimidating thing when you come into that situation — a Hall of Famer, first ballot, and one of the greatest tight ends of all time [playing with you]. So, it can be intimidating, but he took me under his wing and taught me everything he could these past two years,” Henry said, via the Los Angeles Times. “It’s been incredible. He’s still a great friend of mine. I talk to him. I was with him a couple of weekends ago. It’s been really cool to be able to play with him these past two years.

“But definitely, I’m ready to step up. … I’m ready to go.”

Patriots

Tom Brady made it clear in an interview with Jim Gray at the Milken Institute Global Conference in California that he intends to play in 2018 and beyond.

“I have personal goals. I want to keep playing,” Brady said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. “I’ve said for a long time I want to play to my mid-40s. I was told three years, when I was 36-37, ‘You can’t keep playing; no one wins Super Bowls [at that age].’ It’s a great challenge for me. I think I’ve been challenged my whole life. I feel like I can do it. . . .

“I have a great system in place that works well for me in order to keep me performing at my highest level.  . . . What I want to do in the meantime is I want to inspire people through my action. Not tell them what to do, but just show it.”