AFC West

The Las Vegas Raiders are going into the 2025 season with a new head coach, but they are reportedly working toward maintaining some continuity at the defensive coordinator spot.

NFL insider Josina Anderson reported Wednesday that Las Vegas is "working on a deal" to bring back Patrick Graham as defensive coordinator on head coach Pete Carroll's staff. He was the team's D.C. for each of the last three seasons.

Las Vegas may have some competition, as the Jacksonville Jaguars announced Monday they interviewed Graham for their D.C. position.

That was all the more notable because Jacksonville interviewed him multiple times for its head coaching vacancy as well before it hired Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen.

Graham has a number of stops on his resume and first entered the NFL as a coach in 2009 as an assistant for the New England Patriots. He stayed with New England for seven seasons in various roles before he was hired as the defensive line coach of the New York Giants in 2016.

He stayed in New York for two years, went to the Green Bay Packers in 2018, went to the Miami Dolphins in 2019 as the D.C. and then returned to the Giants as the D.C. in 2020. He was the D.C. in New York for two seasons before joining the Raiders.

Unfortunately for Graham, his defenses have never been dominant from a statistical perspective when he is the D.C.

He has never had a defense finish better than 12th in the league in yards allowed or ninth in the league in points allowed. What's more, four of his six defenses were 23rd or worse in the league in points allowed, including last year's Raiders team.

Las Vegas was 15th in the league in yards allowed and 25th in points allowed on the way to a 4-13 record and last-place finish in the AFC West.

Yet the front office and Carroll surely believe in Graham's ability to turn things around if they are working toward bringing him back on the new staff.

While it appeared that Patrick Mahomes Sr. trolled the Buffalo Bills after watching his son lead the Kansas City Chiefs to their third straight Super Bowl appearance, he's now denying that he had anything to do with it.

Per TMZ, the elder Mahomes claimed that when he tweeted, "Today is a great day to not be from Buffalo," his social media account was actually hacked.

"Patrick Mahomes Sr.'s X account has been compromised," a statement posted to his Instagram read. "The Mahomes family holds the utmost respect for the @BuffaloBills organization and the #BillsMafia fan base."

Unsurprisingly, the original post drew a wave of backlash from Bills fans who endured their fourth heartbreaking postseason loss to the Chiefs in the last five years.

Mahomes Sr. will surely be watching on as his son tries to capture the NFL's first-ever Super Bowl three-peat when the Chiefs square off against the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans on Feb. 9.

As the Kansas City Chiefs try to pull off the first three-peat in modern NFL history when they meet the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, they know that success breeds contempt, and they're not shying away from it.

During this week's episode of the New Heights podcast, Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce told his brother Jason that he and his teammates have embraced the "villain" role as they go after their third straight Super Bowl title.

"I love it. Yeah. I love it," Kelce said. "... I'm just, I'm enjoying doing this with the guys together, the guys that we have in there, because it's like it just makes us even more of a family."

The Chiefs went 15-2 this season to earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC and defeated the Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills on their way to reaching the Big Game. Many had expected this to finally be the year that star quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills finally got over the hump, but Kansas City sent them home from the playoffs for the fourth time in the last five years.

Kelce added that he feels the outside noise has helped galvanize the team amid its quest for a three-peat.

"You just circle the wagons," he said. "When s--t, you know, people are saying whatever they want and you just band it together and it just makes you more appreciate more of what you have because people want what you have."

Los Angeles Chargers veteran linebacker Khalil Mack committed to returning for the 2025 season after initially mulling retirement, and the team is reportedly hoping to avoid losing him in free agency.

On Wednesday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported, "The sense is Los Angeles will make efforts to re-sign Mack, who will play in 2025 after he said he needed to take time to mull his future following the season. The Chargers believe he embodies the spirit of the team's toughness."

Perhaps the feeling is mutual, as Mack said earlier this month that he believed staying in Los Angeles would give him his best chance at winning if he continued his playing career.

"As long as Justin Herbert is your quarterback. You got [safety] Derwin James and all these guys that love the game of football. And Jim Harbaugh coaching?" Mack said on Jan. 12. "You know you always have a chance to win. Yeah, that's a no-brainer."

Despite the Chargers' interest in retaining Mack, Fowler noted that "many teams will be lurking for potential pass-rush help" and named the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers as possible landing spots for him.

An 11-year veteran and the 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Mack is one of the best linebackers of his generation. He appeared in 16 games in 2024 and totaled 39 tackles, six sacks, nine passes defended, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He had two sacks in Los Angeles' 32-12 loss to the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card Round.

Travis Kelce says the Kansas City Chiefs haven't discussed a three-peat even once amid the team's third straight AFC Championship Game victory.

"It hasn't been mentioned one time, outside of being asked about it in the media," Kelce told his brother Jason Kelce on Wednesday's episode of the New Heights podcast (9:50 mark.) "Everybody in the building is just focused on doing their job. That's how we got here. That's how we got the first one. That's how we got the second one.

"It's the only way you win football games and get to the Super Bowl is if you focus on the task at hand."

The two-time defending Super Bowl chances earned a third consecutive shot at the title with a 32-29 victory over the Bills at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday night.

Patrick Mahomes, who found Kelce for two receptions, recorded a passing touchdown and two more scores on the ground to lead the Chiefs to the win.

Similarly to Kelce, Mahomes said after the win guaranteed his fifth trip to the Super Bowl he tries to "put every single season as its own season."

"I think it will be something that I look back at the end of my career if we're able to go out there and get that three-peat, but at the same time, you just treat it as one season and one Super Bowl run, which is always hard to do," Mahomes said in Sunday's post-game press conference, per NBC Sports' Josh Alper.

A victory at Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9 would make the Chiefs the first NFL team to win three consecutive Super Bowls.

It will be hard to avoid thinking of history given how many of the players are returning from Super Bowl LVII, where Mahomes, Kelce and head coach Andy Reid defeated Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and head coach Nick Sirianni for the title. In total, there are 27 starters returning from the championship game that took place after the 2022 season, per NFL.com's Nick Shook.

Whatever the history at stake, all the Chiefs need is one more win. It sounds like that's what Kelce and Mahomes will be focusing on as they prepare for their upcoming trip to New Orleans.

As the Kansas City Chiefs gear up for their third straight Super Bowl appearance, teams are reportedly already eyeing members of their roster who will be available in free agency.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Chicago Bears are viewed as a potential landing spot for right guard Trey Smith, who is ranked by "several teams" as the "top overall free agent."

Fowler noted that Bears general manager Ryan Poles was a member of the Chiefs front office when Smith was drafted with a sixth-round pick in 2021 and added that Poles "needs to drastically improve his interior offensive line for new coach Ben Johnson."

2024 No. 1 pick Caleb Williams was sacked a whopping 68 times in his rookie year, by far the highest total in the league, so protecting him must be Chicago's top priority going forward.

Smith would be a major upgrade for any team if Kansas City lets him walk in free agency. The 25-year-old appeared in all 17 games this season for the second straight year and drew just two penalties, the lowest single-season mark of his career. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl, but he will miss the game while preparing for Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles on Feb. 9.

Smith made just $3.3 million in the final year of his contract this season, so it can be expected that he will be seeking a major payday this offseason. Eagles veteran Landon Dickerson was the highest-paid guard in the NFL this season at $21 million. Chris Lindstrom of the Atlanta Falcons made $20.5 million, while Robert Hunt of the Miami Dolphins and Quenton Nelson of the Indianapolis Colts both earned $20 million.

The Chiefs have been able to build their current dynasty by retaining their homegrown talent, but it's clear that there will be some heavy competition for Smith's services this offseason.

As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to face the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years, Travis Kelce has high praise for the NFC champs.

On the latest episode of the New Heights podcast (starts at 10:00 mark), Kelce referred to the Eagles as a "hell of a f--king football team" and said they will be the best team Kansas City plays this season.

"And it's man, it's going to be electric. It's going to be absolutely electric," Kelce said. "We know Philly's got the sour taste in their mouth from the last one. And you know that and they're a hell of a fucking football team, man. This would be the best team we play all year."

The last time these two teams played on this stage was electric. Kansas City won 38-35 on Harrison Butker's 27-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining. The 73 combined points were the third-most in Super Bowl history.

The 340 yards by the Chiefs in that game were their fewest in their four Super Bowl appearances during Patrick Mahomes' career.

While many of the principal players from that matchup are back for Super Bowl 59, the Chiefs' approach on offense has changed significantly. It's still built around Mahomes being Superman, but the 2022 season was really the last time he aired it out like he did early in his career.

Now, Mahomes takes a more cerebral approach because the Chiefs don't have as many explosive players around him. Kelce has lost a step now that he is 35 years old. Rashee Rice looked like he was going to be a breakout star before tearing his LCL in Week 4.

The Eagles built their 2024 team in a way that is very reminiscent of the 2022 squad, except they now have Saquon Barkley at running back instead of Miles Sanders. Even though Sanders was very good that season (1,269 yards, 11 touchdowns), Barkley is putting together one of the best running back seasons in NFL history.

The Eagles defense is better by certain metrics now than it was during the 2022 season. They finished second in the NFL in points allowed per game (eighth in 2022) and first in defensive DVOA (third in 2022).

No matter how good the Eagles—or any team—have been throughout the course of an entire season, the Chiefs have proven they deserve any benefit of the doubt in a playoff matchup.

Kelce's assessment that this Philadelphia squad is the best team the Chiefs will play all season is arguably correct. The other teams challenging the Eagles would be the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills, the latter of which just had their hearts broken again by Kansas City in the postseason.

The Eagles will attempt to be the first team to beat Kansas City in the playoffs since the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2021 AFC Championship Game when the two teams square off in Super Bowl 59 on Feb. 9 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

New Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll was noncommittal when asked about the possibility of a Russell Wilson reunion on the AFC West team.

"Right now, it's so early and we're just in the midst of trying to find the puzzle pieces, not even putting them together yet," he said during a discussion with Suzy Shuster and Amy Trask. "So I can't even say. Free agency hasn't come yet. … I mean I can guess, but it would just be a guess. But I promise you, if you're a real competitor, you're not letting options get away from you. So we're going to consider every option as a possibility."

It didn't take long for speculation to begin regarding Wilson after the Raiders hired Carroll.

Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported Wilson was a name "to watch" as a potential "stopgap while the Raiders develop a long-term answer" after he and his former Seattle Seahawks coach "mended fences."

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport also pointed out Wilson was interested in going to the Raiders last offseason.

Carroll was the head coach of the Seahawks when the team selected Wilson in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft. The signal-caller spent the first 10 years of his career in Seattle and built a resume that included a Super Bowl ring and nine Pro Bowl appearances.

However, he has not been the same quarterback since during stops on the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers. He went 11-19 as a starter across two seasons in Denver and threw for just 2,482 yards this past season in Pittsburgh.

While Carroll wouldn't get the same version of Wilson he had in Seattle, he could still be a veteran leader for the team as it looks for a long-term answer at the position. Perhaps the Raiders will select a quarterback in the 2025 NFL draft, which would allow someone like Wilson to be a mentor before eventually handing over the job.

If that is the plan, Carroll didn't offer many hints with his latest comments.

Former NFL head of officiating and current Fox Sports' officiating analyst, Dean Blandino, pushed back against the narrative that the Kansas City Chiefs get a favorable whistle from NFL referees.

"Do teams get breaks at times?" he told TMZ Sports. "They do. And not every call is right. And sometimes that happens. I think it evens out over time. But me watching it, I don't see these games and say, 'Oh god, the Chiefs are getting all these calls.' These are close, close plays and they happened to go in the Chiefs' favor on Sunday."

Granted, there is evidence to suggest that in the playoffs, at least, the Chiefs tend to get more calls:

Now, that doesn't mean that the officials are purposefully favoring the Chiefs, though some factors might be at play. For one, the Chiefs are a disciplined team that plays smart, situational football. For another, they put a lot of pressure on defenses with their dynamic offensive scheme, the dual threat of Patrick Mahomes as a rusher and passer and their ability to disguise blitzes and pressure on defense.

Pressure forces mistakes and bad decisions, and the Chiefs keep their opponents under constant stress throughout a game.

And there is also a more human element at play—the Chiefs have played a lot of home playoff games in the Mahomes' era, and the officials may be subtly and psychologically pressured by the Kansas City fans. Home teams often get a better whistle.

But as as for the even more nefarious accusation against the Chiefs and the NFL—that the league manipulates games to ensure Kansas City wins—Blandino found it absurd.

"For it to be really a conspiracy, do you know the amount of people that would have to be involved? Someone, somewhere would slip up and it would get out," he said. "If there's a room somewhere in the NFL offices where they were writing the script, they never invited me—and I was the head of officiating. I feel like I'd be a pretty important contributor to that."

Amid rumors about quarterback Russell Wilson joining the Las Vegas Raiders, head coach Pete Carroll is potentially setting up a Seattle Seahawks reunion with his new team.

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Raiders interviewed the Miami Dolphins quarterbacks and passing game coach Darrell Bevell on Tuesday for their offensive coordinator position. Bevell was the Seahawks offensive coordinator from 2011 to 2017, winning a Super Bowl with Carroll and Wilson.

The Athletic's Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur reported Monday that Bevell is believed to be the favorite to join Carroll's staff as offensive coordinator.

Bevell began his NFL coaching career with the Green Bay Packers before becoming the Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator in 2006. That job led to him landing a position on Carroll's Seahawks staff in 2011, and he had plenty of success in Seattle.

The Seahawks missed the playoffs just twice during his tenure—his first and last season at the helm. They won the NFC West three times and reached the divisional round or better five times. Seattle made two Super Bowl appearances, winning in 2013.

Since his time in Seattle ended, Bevell has been an offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars. He joined Miami's staff in 2022 and was instrumental in leading one of the best offenses in the league in 2023.

Should Bevell join Carroll in Las Vegas, it's reasonable to think the Raiders would push hard to bring Wilson onto the roster in free agency. Wilson has had a handful of forgettable years since leaving the Seahawks but could revitalize his career with a pair of his former coaches.

It's also worth noting that Carroll wants to field a competitive team in his first year rather than guiding Las Vegas through a rebuild.

"It took us a few years to get to the very top of the last couple programs I was with," Carroll told reporters at his introductory press conference on Monday. "We're starting right now and going for it immediately. … We're going to start right now, (we're) going to go after it and build this team as quickly as we can."

Whether Bevell is the offensive coordinator and Wilson is the quarterback for Carroll's win-now scheme is to be seen.