What NFL Teams Need/Want In The Offseason: AFC West
Note: This is an eight-part series that will run each day on OutKick over the next eight days, with one division in the NFL covered each day.
The NFL's largest convention – the Indianapolis Combine – begins next week and so does a ton of significant activity for the 2024 season.
Teams will do significant work on their draft – testing, timing and meeting with draft prospects. General managers and coaches will speak to counterparts on other teams about veteran players and trade possibilities. And agents will be buzzing about getting clarity on the financial future of their clients as free agency looms next month.
Lots of business is about to be done. And since you want to know what your team must address, well, here you go …
The key issues teams in the AFC West will face this offseason:
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs huddles with his offensive teammates during the first quarter of the AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium on January 30, 2022, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images).
Chiefs
The Chiefs need WR help. And their offensive tackles struggled in 2023, with left tackle Donovan Smith headed to free agency. Who cares? They have Patrick Mahomes, and he apparently can erase this team's every flaw, as he has the past two seasons. They can draft an OT in what is a loaded OT draft, find a young WR to complement Rashee Rice, then re-sign lockdown corner L'Jarius Sneed, and defensive line anchor Chris Jones to keep the stellar defense intact, and fill in depth everywhere else. The Chiefs are so well run by coach Andy Reid and GM Brett Veach, they are approximately $27-$28 million under the salary cap, and can create $40 million in additional cap space by simply restructuring the contracts of Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams was frustrated with the team's offense and wanted the ball more. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Raiders
This could be an offseason of significant remake for the offense because QB Jimmy Garoppolo is all but gone, running back Josh Jacobs is a free agent and probably needs to graduate, and WR Davante Adams has an uncertain path forward. Adams can be traded post-June 1 and save Las Vegas $17.5 million in cap space this season and $36.2 million next year. The Raiders could consider this if they're rebuilding. If the mission is to win now, they have to answer the issue at QB immediately – like with a veteran such as Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins. The smarter play would be to draft a second-tier QB – maybe Bo Nix or Michael Penix Jr. – and develop him long term. But that would require the team having conviction about one of those and owner Mark Davis having the patience to go through something of a rebuild while that rookie QB develops. Oh, by the way, the offensive line needs attention.
Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton.
Broncos
The whole moving-on-from-Russell-Wilson thing sounded fine at the end of last season, but it is a nightmare for the Broncos and their salary cap. It's going to be hard to trade him because he has a no-trade clause and no one loves his contract, which will require renegotiating with his new team. The Broncos are going to pay to get rid of Wilson, if that's what they decide. They may just have to release him and take a massive $35 million dead-money hit. Outside of that, who plays QB in 2024? Jarrett Stidham? Or are they using their No. 12 pick on a QB Sean Payton can develop? Will Jerry Jeudy be traded for, well, not much? The Broncos don't have all their draft picks (no second-rounder) and are over the cap (by approximately $14 million), so they're going to need other teams to do dumb stuff to overcome an undesirable situation.
Inglewood, Calif. - Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh speaks at an introductory press conference at YouTube Theater at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 1. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Chargers
If there is a team that might challenge the Chiefs within the division, this is it. But first, there's that pesky salary cap problem in that they're nearly $21 million over the cap and don't have a lot of places to go with restructures other than saving about $17 million by addressing Joey Bosa and Derwin James. The temptation will be to focus on the offense because Justin Herbert needs to be healthy, the offensive line had multiple injury issues (again), and Austin Ekeler is a free agent. But, honestly, Ekeler should probably be replaced by a cheaper, younger player. Blake Corum, anyone? The defense needs attention. It was atrocious against the pass last season. Perhaps some repairs will come via coaching. The pass rush must also be more consistent than it was, even when Bosa was healthy. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter has a major assignment.