Getty Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes II at the American Century Championship golf tournament.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes recently made one Chiefs fan’s dream come true via the “Make-a-Wish” foundation.
Myka Eilers, 14, underwent two open-heart surgeries as a child, putting her life in danger at a young age. So, to reward her for her courage and perseverance, the Chiefs organization brought her to Arrowhead Stadium to spend time with her favorite Chiefs player: Patrick Mahomes.
Eilers was notified of her wish coming true by KC Wolf, who surprised her at her home. Eilers was then brought to Kansas City via a limousine several days later. While there, Eilers, who is the quarterback of her flag football team, was given a customized jersey that was presented to her in Mahomes’ locker. She also threw passes to Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce and got to watch film with Mahomes.
Watch the entire “My Wish” ESPN segment on Eilers’ experience at Arrowhead right here:
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Veteran Named ‘Plan B’ to Replace OT Orlando Brown Jr.
The Chiefs and starting left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. were unable to come to an agreement on a long-term deal prior to the July 15, 4 p.m. eastern time deadline, according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.
On top of that, Brown still hasn’t signed his franchise tender with the Chiefs, which would pay him a fully guaranteed $16.7 million for the 2022 season, per Pelissero. That means if Brown wants to sit out training camp this summer he can’t be fined by the team for doing so.
#Chiefs franchise-tagged OT Orlando Brown Jr.’s agent, Michael Portner, tells me the sides weren’t able to reach a long-term deal.
KC offered Brown the highest signing bonus and APY on 6-year deal, but Brown’s team decided there wasn’t enough security over the life of the deal.
The deal Kansas City offered Brown was essentially a five-year contract that would have paid him $91 million, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Media. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated also shared that Kansas City’s offer to Brown included $38 million fully guaranteed and $52 million in injury guarantees.
The Chiefs were willing to guarantee his money through the 2023 season, per Garafolo. However, Brown and his agent, Michael Portner of Delta Sports Group, felt that the contract didn’t provide much stability for the left tackle in the backend of the deal, according to Pelissero.
“We got really close,” Portner told Pelissero. “We dealing with the Chiefs and we understand their position as well. I’m not gonna let these athletes sign a flashy contract without the substance or security there.”
Portner: “We got really close. We dealing with the Chiefs and we understand their position as well. I’m not gonna let these athletes sign a flashy contract without the substance or security there.”
With the chance existing that Brown could sit out all of training camp and potentially even some regular season games (although he will get fined if he misses games), one analyst has named a “solid Plan B” option to replace Brown in the lineup if he sits out.
Christian Named ‘Plan B’ to Replace Brown
Lucas Strozinsky of Arrowhead Pride named veteran offensive tackle Geron Christian as the next-best option on Kansas City’s roster to replace Brown if he were to sit out.
Christian signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs this offseason that will pay him $1.047 million guaranteed, per Over The Cap.
“One positive of Christian replacing Brown is that he has significant left tackle experience, with over 1,000 career snaps on the blindside,” Strozinsky wrote on July 16. “Another silver lining of Christian taking over is that the Chiefs likely won’t see much of a dip in quality of play on passing downs, if at all, if Brown doesn’t play.”
Christian was a third-round pick of the then-Washington Redskins in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Louisville. In three seasons with Washington, he played a total of 24 games, but only started in eight of them, according to Pro Football Reference. Last season — in his lone season with the Texans — Christian played in 14 regular-season games and started eight of them.
Per PFF, 560 of the 588 total offensive snaps played by Christian last season were at left tackle. The other 28 were at right tackle. He earned a 78.8 passing block grade by PFF. During his four-year career, he has played a total of 1,042 snaps at left tackle and 119 at right tackle.
Plugging Christian in at left tackle would create some problems, however, which Strozinsky also noted.
“The downside of Christian playing left tackle, however, is that run blocking is not a strength. Based on last season, he’s more of a pass protector than a road grader, which can be a problem if the Chiefs want to use the interior of their offensive line to their advantage and run it down the defense’s throats.”