KC Replay: Bieniemy stays, Hitchens goes, Jayhawks rout Wildcats in Sunflower Showdown
With the number of departures from Andy Reid’s Chiefs coaching staff reaching three this offseason, the team on Thursday reportedly retained one of its top lieutenants: offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
But that wasn’t the only big news out of 1 Arrowhead Drive this past week, as the Chiefs released a starting member of their Super Bowl LIV-winning defense on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, the MLB lockout dragged on and Kansas beat Kansas State in another edition of Sunflower Showdown men’s basketball.
Here’s a run through some recent sports headlines in Kansas City.
Hitchens goes, Bieniemy stays, Nagy back
Veteran linebacker Anthony Hitchens, part of the Chiefs’ championship team two years ago, was released in a salary-cap move that freed up a sizable chunk of money for the free-agent shopping spree that looms in mid-March.
The arrival of NFL’s new calendar year on March 16 will signal the start of free agency. The Chiefs have confidence that Mizzou product Nick Bolton, so good as a rookie linebacker this past season, will be even better in his second year as a pro. He’s playing on a quite-affordable rookie contract, whereas the Chiefs saved $8.44 million in cap space by cutting Hitchens, 29.
Meanwhile, Bieniemy’s contract was up once the recent season came to an end. But according to multiple reports, he’ll be staying in KC for another year thanks to a new one-year contract with the Chiefs. And on Friday, they brought back former OC Matt Nagy as a senior assistant/QBs coach. Nagy was fired by the Bears after going 34-31 in three seasons as their head coach.
Bieniemy, meanwhile, has interviewed for head-coaching jobs with at least 15 NFL teams in the past three years and has yet to land a top job.
Jayhawks put the clamps on K-State
Fifth-ranked Kansas put triple-digits on the scoreboard Tuesday evening in Lawrence, routing the Wildcats 102-83 at Allen Fieldhouse.
The Jayhawks shot the ball exceptionally well, hitting 26 of their 40 two-point attempts (65%). They’re now shooting at a 56.5% clip this season.
Oak Park High product Ochai Agbaji had another efficient outing, leading KU with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting with seven rebounds and five assists.
Could a Mizzou product succeed Tom Brady?
Former Missouri Tigers quarterback Blaine Gabbert, 32, may have emerged as the leading candidate to replace the recently retired Tom Brady as the starting QB of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Bucs coach Bruce Arians seemed to indicate as much in comments last week about Gabbert, a former first-round draft pick who has a career record of 13-35 in starts with five teams.
“People may not like the overall record,” Arians told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, “but Blaine had eight head coaches and eight coordinators his first eight years (in the NFL). ... And he’s been in the (Tampa Bay) system now.”
New bill in Congress would affect stadium funding
Three U.S. Congressmen, Reps. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Don Beyer (D-Va.), on Tuesday introduced the No Tax Subsidies for Stadiums Act of 2022, which “would end the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds used to finance sports stadiums for professional teams.”
The bill would take effect right away and extend to all of the country’s major professional sports leagues — including Major League Baseball. That could be significant in Kansas City, where Royals owner John Sherman has made known his club’s exploration of a possible downtown ballpark project.