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Adam Teicher, ESPN Staff Writer
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs accomplished all of their goals in the 2023 season, including a second straight Super Bowl championship. But Patrick Mahomes said the unusual way they arrived there, with an inconsistent offense that usually didn’t resemble its recent predecessors, left the Chiefs with “a weird feeling.”
The idea at training camp, which begins at Missouri Western State University on Wednesday with a three-day camp for quarterbacks and rookies, is to work out any offensive problems and be at full efficiency when the regular season begins, according to Mahomes.
“We’re back at St. Joe,” Mahomes said. “It’s time to get better. Every season starts differently. You’ve got to come in with that same mentality you had the year before, even with a higher intensity and even though we won the Super Bowl last year, we felt like we didn’t play our best football, especially offensively. So it’s our goal to be better that way and coming in with that mentality every single day.
“The end result [last season] was awesome, but I think a lot of us still have a weird feeling in our mouth . . . It wasn’t fun every single week having to try to just continue to get better and better and the results not paying off the way you wanted to. It wasn’t a lot of fun. We have a lot of those same guys back and they know how that felt and so we’re going to try to prepare ourselves better this year so that we can play better throughout the season and obviously try to end with the same result.”
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Full team training camp begins for the Chiefs on Sunday.
The Chiefs, in an effort to improve their passing game and get more big plays, added two fast wide receivers in free agent
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Daniel Dopp, ESPN
Few can elude Father Time, especially in fantasy football. Every year, without fail, there are stars who see a big drop in production after years of sustained dominance. Julio Jones averaged 18.5 fantasy points per game during his first decade in the league. Julio has played three more seasons since then (ages 31-34) averaging 8.0, 7.0 and 3.3 points per game. It’s not a knock on Julio — or any other player who sees a substantial drop in productivity due to age; that’s just part of the game. Our goal is to pinpoint which superstars on the wrong side of 30 are likely to continue to provide quality fantasy stats over the 2024 season, while hopefully avoiding those on the precipice of a fantasy drop-off.
All ages as of Week 1
Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys (Age: 31)
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Quarterbacks age differently than the athletes at other positions, so Dak being 31 doesn’t bother me here. Dak has averaged over 20 fantasy points in four of his past five campaigns, and the connection with CeeDee Lamb is as strong as it has ever been. The running game in Dallas isn’t what it used to be, with Tony Pollard out of town and Ezekiel Elliott (turns 29 in July) returning to lead the backfield. This should be a pass-heavy offense once again with plenty of opportunities for Prescott to thrive.
Draft advice: He’s a solid QB1 to add in the later rounds.
Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens (30)
Henry’s Tennessee résumé speaks for itself. He has been the focal point of their offense since taking the starter’s reins from DeMarco Murray in 2018. From 2019 through 2022, Henry finished top four in fantasy points per game (in 2021 he missed eight games with a broken foot) every season. Last year, Henry came down to earth as the Titans’ offense struggled, finishing 28th in total yards per game and 26th in points per game. Now in Baltimore, Henry joins an offense that ranked first in rushing yards per game, second in points per game and sixth in total yards per game. If he could score 12 touchdowns in that abysmal 2023 Titans offense, sign me up for what he can do as the lead back with the Ravens, regardless of his age.
Draft advice: Draft Henry as a low-end RB1 / high-end RB2 in Rounds 2-3.
Raheem Mostert, RB, Miami Dolphins (103, but he’s really 32)
I was shocked at what Mostert did in 2023. It’s the only time in his career that he’s ever clocked 200 carries, over 1,000 yards rushing or double-digit touchdowns. With De’Von Achane and Jaylen Wright as the future of the backfield, don’t expect anything close to what Mostert did last season.
Draft advice: Why draft Mostert when you can draft Zack Moss instead?
Tyreek Hill, WR, Dolphins (30)
It should be illegal to be 30 years old and run as fast as Hill does, but since it’s not, he’s going to keep exploiting defenses. Hill is the only 30-year-old who is a surefire bet to come off the board in the first round of your fantasy draft after he averaged better than 23 fantasy points per game last season, which is an absurd number for a wide receiver. He finished with 119 catches for 1,799 yards and 12 touchdowns, so even if he doesn’t quite repeat the performance, Tyreek should defy his age-30 season and continue to be a top-five talent at the position.
Draft advice: Take him in the first round as your WR1. Congrats.
Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (31)
Evans is the model of consistency. Since entering the league in 2014, he has finished every single season with at least 67 receptions and 1,001 yards receiving. That’s an absurdly high floor to maintain for 10 straight seasons. Speaking of floor, Evans has finished top 10 at his position four times in his career but has never finished outside the top 25 wide receivers. In 2023, he found the end zone on 13 occasions, his third time in four seasons seeing double-digit touchdown production. Given his size (6-foot-5, 231 pounds — you can’t teach that) and the way this offense still runs through Big Mike Evans, you should feel safe grabbing him as a starting receiver.
Draft advice: Evans will be a solid WR2 that you can draft in Rounds 3-4.
Season
PPG
2018
16.2
2019
15.9
2020
15.6
2021
14.1
2022
13.4
2023
12.7
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From Weeks 1 through 9, Diggs was WR3 in fantasy, averaging 21.7 PPG. From Weeks 10-18, Diggs was WR44 averaging 9.8 PPG. How much of that was Diggs and how much of that was the situation? We may never know the full story of his second-half collapse, but we do know he’ll be catching passes from loves his young duo. I don’t dislike Diggs, nor do I think he’s fallen off a cliff from a talent level, but in a new situation, with all the talent around him competing for targets, his ADP is too rich.
Draft advice: Diggs is a mid to low-end WR2 with an increased potential for boom/bust weeks. To be honest, I mostly pass on him in our mock drafts because he never falls far enough to entice me.
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From Weeks 1 through 9, Diggs was WR3 in fantasy, averaging 21.7 PPG. From Weeks 10-18, Diggs was WR44 averaging 9.8 PPG. How much of that was Diggs and how much of that was the situation? We may never know the full story of his second-half collapse, but we do know he’ll be catching passes from loves his young duo. I don’t dislike Diggs, nor do I think he’s fallen off a cliff from a talent level, but in a new situation, with all the talent around him competing for targets, his ADP is too rich.
Draft advice: Diggs is a mid to low-end WR2 with an increased potential for boom/bust weeks. To be honest, I mostly pass on him in our mock drafts because he never falls far enough to entice me.
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Katherine Terrell, ESPN Staff Writer
Former New Orleans Saints safety Steve Gleason has been selected to receive the 2024 Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYS, it was announced Thursday.
The award is given to individuals “whose contributions transcend sports.” Recipients of the award, which was first given in 1993, are intended to reflect the spirit of Arthur Ashe and possess strength, courage and willingness to stand up for their beliefs in the face of adversity.
“Over the past 13 years, I’ve been documenting our journey with ALS. My aim has always been to see if we can discover peace and freedom with a love of Life, in the midst of extreme adversity. Being recognized at The 2024 ESPYS is not just an honor, but a powerful platform to further help and serve others. Thank you, ESPN, for this incredible accolade,” Gleason wrote in a statement posted to Instagram.
Gleason, a standout special teams player for the Saints from 2000 to 2008, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2011.
ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, eventually robbing a person of the ability to move, talk or breathe. The disease is considered terminal and currently there is no cure.
Gleason, 47, and his wife, Michel, founded the nonprofit organization Team Gleason following his diagnosis. Team Gleason’s mission is to improve life for others living with ALS by providing technology, equipment and support services.
The Steve Gleason Act was passed in 2018 to ensure the availability of life-sustaining communication devices such as eye-tracking technology that allows individuals like Gleason to communicate using only their eyes.
In 2020, Gleason became the first football player to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor awarded to civilians, for advocacy work with ALS.
Gleason, a special teams captain and the Saints’ leader in blocked punts, was most known on the field for his blocked punt against the Atlanta Falcons in the Saints’ first game back after the Superdome reopened in 2006 following Hurricane Katrina. A statue depicting the moment was erected on the Superdome concourse in 2014.
A documentary about Gleason’s life titled “Gleason” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016. His memoir, “A Life Impossible,” which was co-written with Jeff Duncan, was released in April.
It was also announced Thursday that University of South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance and Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, will receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service.
The 2024 ESPYS, hosted by Serena Williams, will air live Thursday, July 11, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said Thursday that he expects the state to put together an aid plan by the end of the year to try to keep the Chiefs and Royals from being lured across state lines to new stadiums in Kansas.
Missouri’s renewed efforts come after Kansas approved a plan last week that would finance up to 70% of the cost of new stadiums for the professional football and baseball teams.
“We’re going to make sure that we put the best business deal we can on the line,” Parson told reporters while hosting the Chiefs’ two most recent Super Bowl trophies at the Capitol, where fans lined up for photos.
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“Look, I can’t blame Kansas for trying,” Parson added. “You know, if I was probably sitting there, I’d be doing the same thing. But at the end of the day, we’re going to be competitive.”
The Chiefs and Royals have played for over 50 years in side-by-side stadiums built in eastern Kansas City, drawing fans from both states in the split metropolitan area. Their stadium leases run until 2031. But Royals owner John Sherman has said the team won’t play at Kauffman Stadium beyond the 2030 season, expressing preference for a new downtown stadium.
Questions about the teams’ future intensified after Jackson County, Missouri, voters in April rejected a sales tax that would have helped fund a more than $2 billion downtown ballpark district for the Royals and an $800 million renovation of the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium.
The tax plan faced several headwinds. Some Royals fans preferred the teams’ current site. Others opposed the tax. And still others had concerns about the new stadium plans, which changed just weeks ahead of the vote.
The emergence of Kansas as an alternative raised the stakes for Missouri officials and repeated a common pattern among professional sports teams, which often leverage one site against another in an effort to get the greatest public subsidies for new or improved stadiums.
Sports teams are pushing a new wave of stadium construction across the U.S., going beyond basic repairs to derive fresh revenue from luxury suites, dining, shopping and other developments surrounding their stadiums. On Tuesday, the city of Jacksonville, Florida, approved a $1.25 billion stadium renovation plan for the NFL’s Jaguars that splits the cost between the city and team.
Many economists assert that while stadiums may boost tax revenue in their immediate area, they tend to shift consumer spending away from other entertainment and seldom generate enough new economic activity to offset all the public subsidies.
Parson said, “the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals are big business,” comparing them to large companies that have received public aid such as Boeing, Ford and General Motors. But he added that any deal “has to work out on paper, where it’s going to be beneficial to the taxpayers of Missouri.”
“I think by the end of this year, we’re going to have something in place” to propose for the stadiums, Parson said.
Missouri’s still undefined plan likely would require legislative approval, but Parson said he doesn’t anticipate calling a special legislative session before his term ends in January. That means any plan developed by Parson’s administration in partnership with Kansas City area officials also would need the support of the next governor and a new slate of lawmakers.
Now that Kansas has enacted a financing law, discussions between the sports teams and the Kansas Department of Commerce could start at any time, but the agency has no timeline for finishing a deal, spokesperson Patrick Lowry said Thursday.