Chiefs activate rusher Edwards-Helaire
The Kansas City Chiefs activated running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire from injured reserve Monday and placed wide receiver Mecole Hardman on the list for the second time as they finalize their roster for the Super Bowl.
Edwards-Helaire, a 2020 first-round pick, has been out since sustaining a high ankle sprain during a win over the Chargers on Nov. 20. He was designated to return Jan. 17, opening a three-week window in which he could be activated.
Edwards-Helaire started the first six games of the season before ceding time to seventhround pick Isiah Pacheco, who has become one of Kansas City’s key contributors. Edwards-Helaire has run 71 times for 302 yards and three touchdowns and caught 17 passes for 151 yards and three more scores this season.
The emergence of Pacheco, along with former 49ers running back Jerick McKinnon, took pressure off the Chiefs to activate Edwards-Helaire before he was ready. Pacheco ran for 830 yards and five TDs during the regular season, and had 121 combined rushing yards in playoff wins over Jacksonville and Cincinnati. McKinnon scored 10 combined touchdowns in the regular season.
Hardman, who will be a free agent after the season, initially hurt his pelvis Nov. 6 during a game against the Titans. He was activated from IR on Jan. 4 but struggled to get healthy enough to appear in games, missing the Chiefs’ regular-season finale against the Raiders and their divisional win over the Jaguars.
He finally suited up for the AFC title game against the Bengals, and he ran a couple of jet sweeps and caught two passes for 10 yards. It was while getting tackled on his second reception that Hardman reinjured the pelvis.
The Chiefs also should get back wide receiver Justin Watson, who was inactive for the AFC title game because of an illness.
Receiver Green retires: Seventime Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Green retired after 12 seasons in the NFL. Green, 34, spent a decade with the Bengals before signing with the Cardinals for the last two seasons of his career.
Selected by Cincinnati with the No. 4 overall pick of the 2011 draft out of Georgia, Green was a Pro Bowl selection in each of his first seven seasons, topping 1,000 yards receiving six times. He missed the 2019 season with an ankle injury, but returned to the Bengals in 2020.
Green was solid in his first season with Arizona in 2021, catching 54 passes for 848 yards and three TDs. His production dipped to 24 receptions for 236 yards and two TDs this season.
He finishes his career with 10,514 yards receiving — which ranks 44th in NFL history — and had 70 touchdown catches. Vikings hire Flores: Minnesota hired Brian Flores as its defensive coordinator. Flores was a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach this season for Pittsburgh, after three years as head coach in Miami. Prior to being hired by the Dolphins, Flores was an assistant for eight seasons for New England’s defense. The Patriots won four Super Bowls during his time with them.
After he was fired by the Dolphins, Flores, who is Black, filed a class-action lawsuit alleging racial discrimination by the team and the NFL.
Flores replaces Ed Donatell, who was fired last month by head coach Kevin O’Connell after one year together. The Vikings were second-worst in the league in yards allowed and fourth-worst in points allowed during the regular season. Brady to start broadcasting in 2024: Tom Brady will not start his broadcasting career with Fox until the 2024 season, the retired quarterback told Colin Cowherd during Monday’s episode of “The Herd” on FS1 and Fox Sports Radio.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion — who retired last week after a 23-year career with the Patriots and Buccaneers — signed a 10-year deal with Fox in May to become the network’s top analyst when he decided to quit playing for good.
Brady said that he didn’t want to immediately rush into announcing and that he wanted to catch up on some other parts of his life.
Super Bowl ads sell out: Fox said that in-game ads for Super Bowl LVII have all been sold.
The Super Bowl is advertising’s biggest stage, with advertisers jockeying to get their products in front of the more than 100 million people who watch each year. Mark Evans, executive vice president of ad sales for Fox Sports, said a few ads went for more than $7 million for a 30-second spot. Most sold between $6 million and $7 million.
Anheuser-Busch remains the biggest advertiser with three minutes of national airtime. Other big ad categories include packaged food like Doritos and M&Ms, movie studios and streaming services, automakers and tech companies.