The Chiefs are still working toward a potential deal with star cornerback L'Jarius Sneed -- but he's seemingly free to work out one on his own.

The team informed him it's willing to place the franchise tag on him and would be OK with him seeking out a trade if they can't reach a long-term deal, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Sneed, 27, is coming off a second straight Super Bowl season with the Chiefs and is already being pursued by a number of players hoping to woo him to their cities.

The Chiefs, in addition to potentially paying Sneed this offseason, must also dole out the cash to Chris Jones, who sat out the beginning of the 2023 season in a contract dispute.

"He's at the top of the list," GM Brett Veach said Tuesday at the combine. "We do have one tag and I anticipate probably using it to help us, but I think our goal is to get both of those players done."

INDIANAPOLIS – The Jets chased Davante Adams at the trade deadline last season and were expected to make a push to acquire Aaron Rodgers’ favorite target this offseason.

But it does not sound like the Raiders have any desire to move their star wide receiver.

New Raiders general manager Tom Telesco was asked what his response would be to any inquiries about acquiring Adams via trade this week.

“He’s a Raider,” Telesco said Tuesday at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.

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Joe Schoen believes in the old adage when it comes to he-said, she-said scenarios.

The Giants general manager acknowledged the coaching turmoil that engulfed his team after its season ended in January, while stating that any angles have to be taken with a grain of salt since sources have reasons to tell their sides of the story when things go wrong.

“We still competed to the end. The Rams made the playoffs, we were in that game until the end, we beat the Eagles, we took ’em to the end when we played there,” Schoen said during a fan question-and-answer session during the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. “The perception outside and the reality inside sometimes there’s a gap there and some of those articles come from sources that have an agenda. Maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle.

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If Justin Jefferson wants to know who the Vikings quarterback will be before he signs an extension, he can rest a little easier knowing the plan is status quo.

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said Thursday at the NFL Combine that things are in a “great place” with quarterback Kirk Cousins, whose contract will void on March 13.

That date makes Cousins ineligible for a franchise tag and thus possibly the most attractive veteran passer in free agency – if he becomes available because no extension can be reached by then.

“Had a great conversation with him a few days ago,” Adofo-Mensah said. “At the end of the day, we have our interests, he has his, get to the table and see if we can figure out a creative solution of how to meet in the middle. What we do know is we have a really good quarterback, great leader and somebody we think we can win the ultimate prize with.”

If the Vikings do not retain Cousins, their quarterback future is murky and not conducive to Jefferson continuing his historic pace. Adofo-Mensah shot down that Jefferson – who has started his career with four straight 1,000-yard seasons – might be available for trade in that scenario.

“That is not something that has once crossed my mind,” he said.

The Broncos might not be able to recoup any – forget about most – of the assets they traded two years ago for Russell Wilson now that a divorce is imminent.

As Wilson continues to say that the Broncos threatened to bench him last season if he didn’t forfeit the injury guarantee in his salary – as he did most recently Monday on the “I am Athlete” podcast – general manager George Paton hinted that the only resolution to an untenable situation could be to release the nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback.

“I haven’t heard anything from any teams,” Paton said when asked about a trade market, “so we’ll see.”

Wilson’s $37 million salary for the 2025 season becomes fully guaranteed in a few weeks (March 17), but the Broncos are not planning to wait until then – when free agency is underway – to make a move.

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The Patriots Way” is undergoing a remodel so complete that it includes the configuring of the NFL Draft board.

As the Patriots begin life after head coach and de facto general manager Bill Belichick, director of scouting Eliot Wolf – the son of Hall of Fame executive Ron Wolf, a former general manager of the Packers – said he is tweaking the way the Patriots rank college prospects.

"We changed the grading system,” Wolf said. “It's a little bit more similar to what we did in Green Bay. The previous Patriots system was more, ‘This is what the role is' and [ours] is more kind of value-based. I think it makes it a lot easier for scouts to rate guys and put them in a stack of, ‘This guy's the best, this guy is the worst, and everything in between falls into place,’ rather than sort of more nuanced approaches. I just think it accounts value better.”

The Patriots had great success in the draft through the first decade of Belichick’s tenure but too many misses over the last 10 years contributed to the downfall of a dynasty, though maybe not as much as losing Tom Brady in free agency.

The Patriots have the No. 3 pick in a draft where quarterbacks Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels are supposed to be the first three picks.

“It's a really good year for quarterbacks,” Wolf said.

But Wolf left “all options on the table” as far as potentially trading back, adding that he hasn’t “heard anything specifically” from teams interested in moving up the board.

Two marquee free agents and only one franchise tag available is the kind of math that could cause the Chiefs some headaches in the next few weeks.

Defensive tackle Chris Jones and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed are two of the NFL’s best free agents, and Chiefs general manager Brett Veach feels some urgency to get at least one of those stars re-signed to a multi-year extension so that the franchise tag is available as a placeholder to secure the other while continuing negotiations.

The franchise tag deadline is March 5 and free agency opens March 11.

Not that anyone around the NFL will feel sorry for Veach’s problems after three Super Bowl wins in the last five years.

“You’d like to be able to be able to tag all the guys and pay all the guys,” Veach said.

“It’s tough because the more you win, the more you have to pay players, and obviously when you have this amount of success you are paying a lot of players a lot of money."

He went on to say, “Certainly want to do what we can to try to keep both those players, and that’s going to be our intent. Hopefully, we are able to figure something out, but every free agency is different, unique and crazy. We do have one tag, and I anticipate probably using it to help us, but I think our goal is to get both those players [re-signed] and then work down the rest of our roster.”

Another one bites the dust.

If you were hoping to see Drake Maye's arm talent at the combine -- you'll have to wait.

The projected No. 3 pick in this year's Draft is reportedly skipping that portion of the event, according to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report.

Maye's draft stock is likely solidified -- even after a dubious comparison was made of him to Mason Rudolph.

Justin Fields name has been flying in the rumor mill this offseason.

Bears GM Ryan Poles gave some clarity on their plans with the QB.

Poles noted that if they do trade Fields, 'I want to do it right by Justin.'

Though Poles gave no timeline for a potential trade, he said that they'll move as quickly as they can.

At the combine on Tuesday, Poles also mentioned he wasn't concerned with the rumors that Caleb Williams doesn't want to play in Chicago.

Giants GM Joe Schoen gave an update on Daniel Jones at the combine.

Schoen noted that Jones is rehabbing ahead of schedule from his back injury.

“The expectation is when Daniel is healthy, he will be our starting quarterback,’’ Schoen said in late Nov. and seems unchanged on his stance at the combine.

If the Giants commitment to Jones waivers -- they have a prime pick at No. 6 in the upcoming draft to nab a different QB.

ESPN's Mel Kiper thinks New York should stick with Jones, instead of opting for Michigan's J.J. McCarthy.

In early Feb. there was some speculation that Caleb Williams may not want to play for the Chicago Bears.

These rumors may have been sparked by Colin Cowherd who declared on an episode of "The Herd," that Williams does not want to end up on the Bears.

Williams also throw some fuel on the fire when he made a social media post congratulating Kliff Kingsbury being hired as Washington's OC.

However, Bears' GM Ryan Poles tried to extinguish those rumors at the NFL combine.

Poles told media members that he has no concerns about Williams not wanting to play in Chicago.

'No. No concerns about that at all,' Poles declared.

Former NFL QB Brian Hoyer weighed in on who he would select with the No. 3 pick in this year's draft.

Instead of going with the obvious choice (QB), he mocked a WR to New England.

Hoyer stood up for Mac Jones, saying that he's gotten a 'raw deal' with the Patriots, who should opt to take Marvin Harrison Jr. over a potential franchise QB.

Hoyer noted that Harrison Jr. is essentially a bigger, faster version than his dad, who is a Pro Football Hall of Fame member.

Maybe Hoyer's onto something, since New England isn't ruling out the possibility of Jones returning as their starter.