AFC West Notes: Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs

Broncos

New Broncos RB Melvin Gordon said he is looking forward to playing his former team, the Los Angeles Chargers, twice a year. 

“Ah man, I’m looking forward to it,” Gordon said, via Sirius XM NFL Radio. “I’m definitely looking forward to it.”

Gordon mentioned that he is still close to several of his former Chargers teammates. 

“It’s gonna be exciting,” Gordon said. “I still hang out with them, they talk trash to me. It is what it is, I’ll seem them boys on Sunday.“

Gordon also said that joining a division rival was not his “biggest reason” for signing with Denver. 

“I just thought I’d be a good fit. I played against them twice a year, so I kinda seen how they used [Phillip] Lindsay, they like to run the ball. I felt it was a great opportunity there. I felt it was a good organization,” Gordon said. “Everyone knows the Denver Broncos. Everybody knows that’s a good organization. I just thought it could help boost my career and give me a fresh start.”

Chargers

Lindsey Thiry of ESPN mentions that during a video conference with reporters held by Chargers GM Tom Telesco on Friday, he admitted that not even his family members know who his team will select in the upcoming draft.

Los Angeles has been projected to select a quarterback such as Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert in several mock drafts, but Telesco declined to discuss individual prospects and instead chose to discuss the quarterback class as a whole.

“It’s pretty strong,” said Telesco. “I think that people tend to look at only the top of the draft at these different positions, but a lot of them there’s players as you move on, in second, third and fourth rounds that I think are going to be very good players in this league … it’s a good class of quarterbacks.”

The team may be comfortable going forward with current quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor and Easton Stick, who the team chose in last year’s draft.

“We’re really happy with Tyrod right now,” Telesco said. “He’s an experienced quarterback, he’s taken a team to the playoffs before, he knows our offense, he knows our coaches, our coaches know him, his teammates believe in him, we believe in him.”

There is speculation about free-agent QB Cam Newton, but when asked specifically about interest in Newton, Telesco avoided discussing him.

“All of our resources right now are strictly on draft preparations, not only with the draft but actually preparing to do it the way we’re going to do it,” Telesco said. “We’ll look and see what’s available after the draft, free-agent wise, like we always do, but right now we’re comfortable with where we are.”

Chiefs

Kansas City is yet to reach a deal with QB Patrick Mahomes, who has one season left on his contract, although the Chiefs can extend the contract through the 2021 season by exercising their fifth-year option.

“Pat is a priority,” Chiefs GM Brett Veach said, via ESPN’s Adam Teicher. “Pat isn’t going anywhere. He’s going to be here for a long time. I can never sit here and speak in [certainty], so I can’t say the fifth-year [option] won’t be an option or anything like that. It would be hard for me to say that. We [could] have to use that. It’s a priority. When you have a great player and that great player is a priority, things get done. It’s just hard to put a timetable on exactly when and how all of that will work out. But we know and I’m sure he knows it will get done and it will be taken care of.”

Chairman Clark Hunt suggested a few days before the Super Bowl that the team may wait until next year to pursue a new contract with Mahomes.

“There will be a right time sometime in the next 12 to 15 months to extend Patrick, and when I say right time, I mean right time for both the player and the club,” Hunt said. “I don’t want to say necessarily it has to be this offseason, but I will say that it’s a priority to get him done. I hope Patrick is here for his entire career, and that’s going to be our goal.”