NFL Notes: Nick Mangold, Bengals, Chiefs

Nick Mangold

Free agent C Nick Mangold tells Kimberly A. Martin of Newsday that he hasn’t given up on playing in 2017, despite the fact that he’s still a free agent.

“I’m just rehabbing, trying to get right, trying to get ready,” Mangold said.

When asked if he has completely ruled out the possibility of retirement, Mangold said: “We’re still trying to see what the options are.”

Mangold previously visited with the Ravens, but ultimately left Baltimore without a contract (NFLTR). Some have mentioned that he could be an option for the Saints following the news that Max Unger could miss the start of the season.

We have Mangold featured in our Top 50 Available Free Agents list.

Bengals

• Ian Rapoport reports that the Bengals agreed to pay first-round WR John Ross his full 2017 base salary, even if he ends up on the non-football injury list.
• In total, Ross receives a four-year contract worth $17.1 million to go along with a $10.6 million signing bonus.

Chiefs

Chiefs GM John Dorsey mentioned during an appearance on Good Morning Football that they informed Alex Smith ahead of time of the possibility that they may take a quarterback this year.

“You know, Alex is the consummate professional. He’s been through these types of situations before and we made sure we communicated with Alex leading up to the draft that we may make a move like this,” Dorsey said, via NFL.com. “And when we were on the clock and traded up with Buffalo, we made sure we again got in contact with Alex and he’s all on board with this.

“Listen, Alex Smith, his four years here, has the fourth-winningest record in the National Football League since he’s been here. That guy understands — this is his team. And the young guy understands — he’s going to learn and develop these certain traits that it takes to be a quarterback in this league.“