The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to deals with wide receiver Sammy Watkins and middle linebacker Anthony Hitchens
Philadelphia Eagles News , filling two of their most glaring needs on the eve of free agency.
The 24-year-old Watkins intends to sign a $48 million, three-year contract with $30 million in guarantees, while the 25-year-old Hitchens agreed to a
five-year deal, two people familiar with their decisions told The Associated
Press on Tuesday.
The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the contracts, along with several other moves made by Kansas City
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The Chiefs have been looking for a playmaking wide receiver to pair with speedster Tyreek Hill since last offseason, but resorted to using Chris Conley
in the role. Then Conley went down with a season-ending injury, robbing the
Chiefs of their No. 2 wide receiver and forcing journeyman Albert Wilson into a
more substantial role in their West Coast offense.
But questions persist about Conley’s health and long-term upside, and Wilson has agreed to a free-agent deal with the Miami Dolphins, leaving the Chiefs in
the market for a wide receiver.
Watkins was considered one of the premier talents on the market.
The 2014 fourth overall pick of the Buffalo Bills spent last season with the Los Angeles Rams
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when he caught 60 passes for 1,047 yards and nine scores in a season shorted by
injury, the Chiefs undoubtedly believe Watkins has yet to reach his ceiling.
It would help matters if he stayed healthy. Along with a calf strain and ankle sprain that season, he’s had hip issues in the past
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Buffalo decided to decline its fifth-year option on Watkins after all the injuries, and wound up sending him to the Rams last August for cornerback E.J.
Gaines and a draft pick.
On defense, the Chiefs have been trying to get younger across the board, releasing cornerstone linebackers Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali and shuffling
their defensive backfield.
Hitchens, who The Kansas City Star reported will make about $9 million per season
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in only 12 starts last season, when a knee injury sidelined him the first four
games.
Hitchens also had a couple of pass deflections and nine tackles for a loss, and showed flashes of the same kind of instincts that made Johnson the Chiefs’
career tackles leader.
Watkins and Hitchens are expected to sign their contracts Wednesday, when the new league year means the Chiefs can finally consummate their agreed-upon trades
sending quarterback Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins and cornerback Marcus
Peters to the Rams.
The Chiefs will get cornerback Kendall Fuller and a draft pick back from Washington and two picks back from Los Angeles, allowing them to restock with
younger players through the draft.
Kansas City intends to turn its starting quarterback job over to Patrick Mahomes II
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and was dynamic in a Week 17 start against Denver, when the Chiefs were already
assured of the AFC West title and their playoff positioning, allowing Smith to
take the week off.
That performance against the Broncos is what made the Chiefs comfortable moving on from Smith, who had a career season that made him coveted by several
other teams in the trade market.
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