KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes is joining the ownership group of the Kansas City Royals.
The Royals announced the addition of Mahomes, the star quarterback who led the Kansas City Chiefs to a Super Bowl title last season, on Tuesday. Mahomes was once a baseball prospect and was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2014.
“I’m honored to become a part owner of the Kansas City Royals,” Mahomes said in a statement. “I love this city and the people of this great town. This opportunity allows me to deepen my roots in the community, which is something I’m excited to do.”
Mahomes’ decision to focus on football certainly worked out for him, but his baseball ties run deep. His father Pat pitched in more than 300 big league games, mostly as a reliever.
“He loves football, but he also grew up loving the game of baseball,” said John Sherman, principal owner of the Royals. “We look forward to many years of a winning partnership.”
TITANS: Coach Mike Vrabel said Tuesday that first-round draft pick Isaiah Wilson, an offensive lineman and the lone unsigned member of the Titans’ six-man draft class, has been placed on the COVID-19/reserve list. That means Wilson, the No. 29 draft pick overall out of Georgia, either tested positive or came in close contact with someone who did.
PACKERS: Green Bay wide receiver Devin Funchess is opting out of playing this season in a move he calls one of the most difficult decisions he’s ever made.
Funchess’ choice leaves Green Bay without its only major offseason addition to their receiving group, one year after Davante Adams was the only Packer to catch as many as 50 passes or accumulate as many as 500 yards receiving. The 26-year-old Funchess announced his decision in an Instagram post. Funchess noted that some of his closest relatives “have experienced the life-threatening impact of COVID-19 first hand.” Funchess said he decided against playing this season “for their and my own safety.”
“Family is first,” Funchess wrote on his Instagram post. “Always has been. Always will be. In such unpredictable times, it’s been one of the constants on my mind as I’ve worked through one of the toughest decisions of my life.”
EAGLES: Veteran wide receiver Marquise Goodwin won’t play this season, exercising an opt out Tuesday because of concerns about the coronavirus.
The Eagles traded for Goodwin on the final day of April’s NFL draft, which was underscored by the team’s effort to get faster on both sides of the ball. The team swapped sixth-round picks with the San Francisco 49ers to get Goodwin, who served as an extra deep threat capable of relieving DeSean Jackson or playing opposite him.
Instead, the Eagles will make plans without the 29-year-old from the University of Texas. Goodwin and his wife, Morgan Snow Goodwin, had a daughter this year. Before her birth, the family lost three children to pregnancy complications in the last three years.
Goodwin would have been entering his eighth season in the league, spending the last three with the 49ers. He has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career, playing only one full season. His best year came in 2017, when he caught 56 passes for 962 yards and averaged 17.2 yards per catch.
BILLS: Buffalo starting defensive tackle Star Lotulelei has chosen to voluntarily opt out from playing this season.
The Bills also opened training camp Tuesday by announcing second-year tight end Tommy Sweeney was placed on the active-physically unable to participate list because of a foot injury. The team did not reveal the nature of the injury or when Sweeney was hurt.
The 30-year-old Lotulelei has seven years of NFL experience and was entering his third season with the Bills. He has two years remaining on his contract, which will now run through 2022.
BRONCOS: General Manager John Elway confirmed Tuesday that veteran defensive tackle Kyle Peko has opted out of the 2020 season over COVID-19 concerns.
Elway said Peko notified the Broncos “it was more dangerous for him” to play during the pandemic. It’s uncertain whether Peko has a medical condition himself that imperiled his health or if his decision to skip the season was related to his wife’s recent bout with cancer.
PANTHERS: Carolina punter Michael Palardy suffered a torn ACL on his kicking leg in the offseason and was placed on the team’s reserve/non-football injury list Tuesday, ending his 2020 season.
The hope was that Palardy would be able to play on the injury, but the decision was made to get surgery instead. Carolina signed South Carolina undrafted free agent Joseph Charlton last week. He is the only other punter on the team’s roster.
49ERS: San Francisco placed starting receiver Deebo Samuel on the non-football injury list after foot surgery and said he might miss the start of the season. Samuel suffered a fracture in his left foot last month during informal workouts with teammates in Tennessee and the timeline for his return remains unknown.
“I’m not going to put an exact timeline on it but it’s fair to say he may well miss some games early in the year,” General Manager John Lynch told the team’s flagship radio station KNBR on Tuesday. “But we’re going to have him back at some point. I know his rehab is going very well and he’s working very diligently and still intent on having a really big year for us.”
COWBOYS: Dallas wide receiver Stephen Guidry, an undrafted rookie from Mississippi State, is taking the voluntary COVID-19 opt out from the 2020 season, according to sources.
Guidry is the second Cowboys player to take the opt out, joining cornerback Maurice Canady.
STEELERS: Pittsburgh signed running back Wendell Smallwood to a one-year deal, giving the backfield a bit of experienced depth heading into training camp. Smallwood joins a group that includes James Conner, Benny Snell Jr., Jaylen Samuels and rookie Anthony McFarland.
The 26-year-old Smallwood played for Philadelphia for 2016-18 after being taken in the fifth round of the 2016 draft out of West Virginia. His rookie season included running for 79 yards and a touchdown against the Steelers. His rushing total in that game remains a career high.
Smallwood spent 2019 in Washington, running for 81 yards as a reserve. An able pass catcher, he gives Pittsburgh more versatility out of the backfield.
The Steelers are in the midst of a possible transition at running back. Conner is entering the final year of his contract. Snell showed promise as a rookie. Samuels is considered more of an H-back and McFarland figures to be a bit of a project after serving as a role player at Maryland.
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