AFC Notes: Keenan Allen, L’Jarius Sneed, Chris Jones, Chargers, Chiefs

Chargers

Chargers WR Keenan Allen has been with the franchise for his entire career so far and doesn’t envision that he will wind up playing elsewhere in 2024.

 “I don’t see myself going anywhere. Harbaugh’s been watching for a long time, and we actually played against each other: Stanford-Cal,” Allen said, via NFL.com. “He just wants me to continue to be a leader. Continue to be who I am. And he’s going to do his job. We’re going to continue to compete, do what we do, and put some better results out there.”

L’Jarius Sneed & Chris Jones 

Chiefs GM Brett Veach said DB L’Jarius Sneed and DL Chris Jones are two cornerstones of the organization and he hopes to re-sign them long-term.

“Sometimes I look at our situation and I’m like, ‘I don’t know how we’re going to do this,’ but we usually work through things systematically and have a list of the priorities,” Veach said, via ESPN’s Adam Teicher. “Certainly, Chris and LJ are at the top of the list. It’s extremely hard because you have two keystone players there.”

Veach spoke on the importance of sweetening the pot for Jones to bring him back this season.

“It was important for us to mend the fences with Chris because we love him and he’s an iconic player here, not just here, but I mean of all time,” Veach said. “That was important for us, and we’ll continue to work hard and see if we can get something done, but it will be a priority for us.”

Veach added that the team has built a great defense around QB Patrick Mahomes and is something that he hopes to keep in tact.

“I still remember in ’17 and ’18 just saying if we can just get them to punt just once we’ve got a shot,” Veach said. “Now all of a sudden it’s like all we’ve got to do is just score once and we’re good. Going from where we were in ’17 and ’18 to having one of the best defenses, knowing the constraints we had of just paying [Mahomes] and probably drafting later [in rounds], I don’t think I ever envisioned having a top one or two defense.”

Chiefs

The Chiefs had former OC Eric Bieniemy speak to the team in an unofficial support role before the AFC Championship game.

“It’s always great to have EB (Bieniemy) in the building, just being there and the energy he brings, and the mentality he brings because he has that intensity, but he loves it,” Patrick Mahomes said, via ChiefsWire.com. “He loves being there. He loves being a part of the team and being a part of that culture. And so just having him back in the building was really cool.

“Listening to him talk with his energy. I mean, it just got everybody guys going. I think the guys had a little bit of chill bumps today. Like, Hey, we got EB’s back here, and obviously, he didn’t get that head coaching opportunity. But I’m excited for him to continue to coach football and continue to make his impact on the game.”