AP: Carson Wentz, Clyde Edwards-Helaire agree to one-year deals with the Chiefs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to one-year deals with quarterback Carson Wentz and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, two people familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday, giving them a backup for Patrick Mahomes and some depth in their backfield.
The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither deal had been announced.
Wentz, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft, will join his fifth team in five years after starting his career in Philadelphia and spending last season with the Rams. He is 48-46-1 as a starter.
Wentz spent five seasons with the Eagles, where he finished third in NFL MVP voting in 2017 but tore two knee ligaments and watched backup Nick Foles lead them to a Super Bowl victory.
Wentz started 17 games for the Colts in 2021, leading them to a 9-8 record while throwing for 3,563 yards with 27 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. He started seven games the following year for the Commanders, then won his only start for Los Angeles.
Wentz, who has thrown for 22,292 yards with 153 TDs and 67 interceptions in a career plagued by injuries and inconsistency, fits the mold of experienced quarterbacks whom the Chiefs have brought in to be Mahomes’ backups.
Edwards-Helaire is a known commodity in Kansas City, which picked him 32nd overall in the 2020 draft.
He struggled to live up to expectations as a firstround pick, though. Edwards-Helaire dealt with a series of injuries over the past four seasons, and that was part of the reason Isiah Pacheco was able to wrestle away the starting job two years ago.
The Chiefs decided not to use their fifth-year option on Edwards-Helaire, making him a free agent. But his knowledge of Andy Reid’s complex offense, coupled with his ability to catch passes out of the backfield, made an agreement make sense. Edwards-Helaire could earn a more lucrative contract with a good season.
Edwards-Helaire has appeared in 48 games, running for 1,845 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also has caught 89 passes for 765 yards and seven touchdowns over the past four seasons in Kansas City.
VIKINGS: Minnesota suspended offensive coordinator Wes Phillips for three weeks without pay beginning Tuesday, after he pleaded guilty on Feb. 15 to careless driving as a result of his Dec. 8 arrest on suspicion of drunken driving.
Phillips will miss the first week of the Vikings’ offseason workout program, which begins on April 15. His suspension mirrors the NFL’s typical penalty for players charged with DUI for the first time, and likely means Phillips will not face further discipline from the league.
Phillips was pulled over for speeding on Interstate 394 in Minneapolis on Dec. 8, and registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.10%, above the state’s legal limit of 0.08%. He coached in the Vikings’ win over the Raiders two days later, and continued to coach through the end of the regular season, though coach Kevin O’Connell said at the time he was “incredibly disappointed” and Phillips said he would accept whatever discipline came as a result of the incident.
TITANS: Tennessee revamped its secondary with a pair of brand new starting cornerbacks, signing Chidobe Awuzie and trading with Kansas City for L’Jarius Sneed. Can they be the NFL ‘s best? General manager Ran Carthon said Tuesday that’s up for them to decide.
“We paid a lot of money to get those two guys on the outside,” Carthon said. “So I expect those guys to play, you know, really well.”
The Titans introduced Sneed on Tuesday after capping a spending frenzy to start free agency. Tennessee had to trade with Kansas City with the Chiefs using the non-exclusive franchise tag on Sneed.
Sneed got a new contract making him the NFL’s fifth-highest paid cornerback at an average of $19.4 million. He now has the fourth-highest guaranteed money among cornerbacks with $55 million, according to Spotrac.com. Awuzie got a three-year deal for $36 million with $23 million guaranteed.
Carthon credited Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk along with fellow owners Kenneth and Barclay Adams with approving their plan for free agency. Tennessee has spent $306.4 million in free agency and extensions — most in the NFL per Spotrac.com.