Chiefs News 1/29: Gardner Minshew didn’t tear ACL, now fully healthy

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Could Chiefs quarterback Gardner Minshew, now at full health, continue in KC? | Kansas City Star

The injury originally was feared to be a torn ACL, but that was ruled out a few days after the Titans game.

Minshew was starting his first game for the Chiefs in the absence of star QB Patrick Mahomes, who tore his ACL and LCL the previous week.

Chris Oladokun finished the Titans game for the Chiefs at quarterback and also started their final two games. Shane Buechele played in the second half of the finale at the Las Vegas Raiders.

While recovering, Mahomes will be unable to lead his typical offseason workouts. In an interview earlier this month, Chiefs coach Andy Reid suggested Minshew, who signed a one-year deal with KC for the 2025 season and is now approaching free agency, could continue here in the backup role.

2026 NFL free agency: Re-signing decisions for all 32 teams | ESPN

Kansas City Chiefs
S Bryan Cook

As a three-year starter, Cook was by far the Chiefs’ best safety. In defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s complex scheme, the safety is one of the most critical positions, given the player’s need for versatility. Cook played 83% of the defensive snaps this season and recorded a career-high six pass breakups and 85 tackles, often limiting big plays. If Cook joins another team in free agency, the Chiefs will have just Chamarri Conner and Jaden Hicks, who Spagnuolo said made more mistakes as a second-year player than he expected. — Nate Taylor

One 2026 free agent that every NFL team should pursue | Pro Football Focus

Kansas City Chiefs: RB Breece Hall
PFF Free Agent Rank: No. 9

The Chiefs currently own the least amount of cap space in the NFL, but they still have considerable work to do to address the offensive side of the ball. Squarely among those corrections is a run game that placed 21^st in PFF rushing grade.

Hall posted a career-best 83.5 overall PFF grade last season, courtesy of an 83.7 PFF rushing grade and 17 runs of 15-plus yards. The Iowa State product specifically fits Kansas City’s zone scheme, recording the eighth-highest rushing grade on inside or outside zone since 2024 among qualified backs. Moreover, his career 1.51 yards per route run could give Patrick Mahomes easier outlets. The Chiefs reportedly tried to acquire Hall at the 2025 trade deadline, and they could bring their interest in the New York standout to fruition in March.

Chiefs’ Travis Kelce added to star-studded Pro-Am lineup for WM Phoenix Open | AZ Family

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will be joining the stacked celebrity lineup for the Annexus Pro-Am. Kelce joins a growing list of athletes and entertainers who will be paired alongside PGA Tour golfers for one of the most highly anticipated WM Phoenix Open events.

“Travis Kelce is one of the most accomplished and recognizable athletes of his generation,” Tournament Chairman Jason Eisenberg said. “His championship pedigree, competitive mindset, and star power make him a tremendous addition to the Annexus Pro-Am and an exciting presence for our fans during tournament week.”

Other celebrities that will participate in this year’s Pro-Am include Cardinals’ players Trey McBride, Budda Baker and Zaven Collins, and Cardinals legend Larry Fitzgerald.

Fellow three-time Super Bowl champion, Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith, and two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion Carli Lloyd will also head to TPC Scottsdale to compete in the Pro-Am.

J.C. Pearson comments on Chiefs TE Travis Kelce’s playing future | Chiefs Wire

After an eleventh consecutive selection to the Pro Bowl, Travis Kelce is considering a possible retirement. Pearson weighed in on the franchise-changing decision for the long-time tight end.

“You’ve got nothing left to prove. You’ve done it all in your Hall of Fame career; you had so much going on off the field. You’ve got nothing to prove. So why come back and put yourself through it? I don’t care who you are; it still takes a couple of years to get that competitiveness out of you, said Pearson. “He’s the ultimate competitor; putting himself through that again has to be his decision. Now there’s nothing to say to, that he has to come back right now and go through training camp and all that, he might wait till the season starts and see where this team is at, see how Pat (Patrick Mahomes) comes back, and then come back at that time.”

Around the NFL

Bill Belichick snub: Here are the 23 Hall of Fame voters who have confirmed they voted for him — and the 1 ‘no’ vote | Yahoo! Sports

Confirmed ‘no’ votes (1)
Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star (Kansas City Chiefs)

Gregorian became the first voter to outright confirm he voted against Belichick. In a Wednesday column with the Kansas City Star, he explained he didn’t vote against Belichick (and Kraft) so much as for the three senior players up for enshrinement: Anderson, Craig and Greenwood.

Gregorian said he believed all five of the candidates were deserving, but was concerned that the three players would have to wait much longer than Belichick, like many other senior candidates. It’s a system he believes should change.

Patriots list Drake Maye as limited prior to Super Bowl practices | ESPN

Maye acknowledged having “bumps and bruises” after Sunday’s win over the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. In the third quarter, at the end of a 13-yard run, he was tackled by Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga and landed hard on his right shoulder.

Maye downplayed any concerns after Sunday’s game, saying “a lot of those guys in that locker room are battling through things.” On Tuesday, coach Mike Vrabel said no player was 100% healthy at this time in the season.

Whatever repetitions Maye doesn’t take at practice probably would go to nine-year veteran backup Joshua Dobbs. The Patriots also have Tommy DeVito as the third option on the depth chart.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

3 UCLA players on Eric Bieniemy, more notes from East-West Shrine Bowl

UCLA offensive lineman Garrett DiGiorgio played five seasons at the school. For the West team on Tuesday, he started at right tackle and played right guard on a few possessions. He was highlighted as a player to watch on the broadcast.

I asked him what he remembered about Bieniemy’s coaching during the 2024 season.

“I liked how he spoke in meetings,” DiGiorgio shared. “Made us intent, almost like focus driven, like he would make sure that the room was all on the same path.”

“He knows that he’s going to war himself with the opponent’s DC and the other people on the team,” DiGiorgio said. “That energy he has, it carries onto the athletes for sure.”