AFC Notes: Chargers, Chiefs, Raiders, Josh Jacobs

Chargers

• NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport says it’s his understanding the Chargers reached out to RB Austin Ekeler multiple times in the past year to either give him a raise or lock him up on a long-term deal.
• Rappoport adds Ekeler obviously is looking for more than the Chargers have been willing to put on the table, but it’s challenging because the market is flooded with quality backs between a deep free-agent group and the upcoming draft class.
• Appalachian State OL Cooper Hodges will have a private workout with the Chargers. (Tony Pauline)
• According to Ryan Fowler, the Chargers previously had a pre-draft meeting with Florida LB Ventrell Miller.
• Matt Lombardo reports the Chargers met with Clemson DE KJ Henry following his pro day.

Chiefs

• The Chiefs held a private workout for Missouri Western S Kobe Cummings, according to Aaron Wilson. 
• Kansas City also hosted Oklahoma OT Anton Harrison for a visit, per Billy Marshall.

Raiders

Raiders GM Dave Ziegler offered an update on RB Josh Jacobs, who was given the franchise tag earlier this offseason. The two sides have until July 17 to negotiate an extension, otherwise Jacobs will play out the season on the tag. Although Jacobs had expressed resistance to the idea of the tag, Ziegler said the Raiders wanted to make sure they kept him in 2023. 

“You got to make the decision of do you want the player on your roster or not. Obviously, with the year that he had and the person that he is in terms of his football traits and things of that nature, he fits the fabric of what we’re looking for,” Ziegler said via the Athletic’s Tashan Reed. “He’s a smart football player. He’s tough. He’s dependable. He’s explosive. From a football perspective, that made it an easy decision. Obviously, there’s an investment that goes into placing a franchise tag on a player. It’s $10 million. I’d say that’s a significant price tag for any player. So, we just felt ultimately that his football traits and him as a person and as a player warranted us doing that and making that decision and not letting him hit free agency, if you will.

“And then going forward, yeah, there will be an element of fluidity to it. I’d say we’ve been working through this free agency thing and so you have that time period where you can have some more of those conversations and things of that nature. So, we’ll have some more of those conversations. I wouldn’t say we’ve had a ton of them while we’ve been working through the free agency piece, but we’ll have some more of those conversations and we’ll see where it goes.”

• Raiders owner Mark Davis called Jacobs the “heart” of the team: “Josh is phenomenal. He was the heart of our team last year. He came to play every day and is a tough, tough, tough guy. I am just really proud of him. He was a Raider. If we had 22 Josh Jacobses, with that mentality … that guy is just amazing.” (Vic Tafur)