Welcome to the Friday edition of the Pick Six newsletter! It is somehow already the final day of February, which means free agency is right around the corner, but before we can get there, we have to make it through the NFL Scouting Combine.
If you love the combine, then I have some good news for you: It is going to be on television ALL WEEKEND. The NFL Network will be airing an absurd amount of combine coverage over the next few days with six hours scheduled for today (3-9 p.m. ET), eight hours scheduled for Saturday (1-9 p.m. ET) and four more hours scheduled for Sunday (1-5 p.m. ET).
As always, here’s your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here.
1. Chiefs Have Big Day: Travis Kelce Set to Return; K.C. Becomes First Team to Use Franchise Tag in 2025
The Chiefs had two big questions going into the offseason and they both got answered on Thursday. The first question was whether Travis Kelce would retire and the second question was whether Trey Smith would end up leaving in free agency. The Chiefs got good news on both ends.
Kelce returning for his 13th season
After mulling things over for nearly three weeks, Kelce finally decided that he’s going to keep playing. The Chiefs star tight end announced that he would be returning in a tweet that his podcast sent out. In a text to Pat McAfee, the 35-year-old Kelce said that losing the Super Bowl left “a real bad taste in my mouth.” Although Kelce had a down year by his standards in 2024, he was still incredibly productive: He caught 97 passes for 823 yards and three touchdowns. To put his receptions total in perspective, no one else on the team caught more than 60 passes last season.
Chiefs Use Franchise Tag on Trey Smith
It took nine days, but the first franchise tag of the 2025 offseason has finally been used and the Chiefs used it on Smith. The Chiefs’ starting right guard was set to hit free agency, but that won’t be happening now that he’s been tagged. Smith has started 67 games for the Chiefs since being drafted by Kansas City with a sixth-round pick in 2021.
The franchise tag means that Smith will now become the highest-paid guard in NFL history. The one-year tag means that Smith will make a fully guaranteed $23.4 million in 2025, which moves him ahead of Landon Dickerson for the title of highest-paid guard.
2. Combine Roundup: Handing Out Grades After the First Day of Drills
The first day of real action went down at the combine on Thursday with defensive linemen and linebackers taking center stage. Here’s a roundup of performance grades from CBSSports.com draft experts.
