Kansas City Chiefs Rumors: George Karlaftis returns to practice

Kansas City Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis is expected to return to practice this week after an illness kept him out. Karlaftis was among a group of eight Chiefs who missed practice on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Kansas City fans expect a Year 2 jump from Karlaftis, who impressed some in his rookie season in limited playing time. The former No. 21 overall pick was able to learn from Frank Clark and Chris Jones, two of the best pass rushers in the business, and now is ready to make a name for himself

"Just to experience every one of those games and go into the offseason — watching film, taking those mental reps in the offseason, then enhancing your physical just builds you up for a bigger and better season," Karlaftis said. "Anything you can do really to help the team."

With Jones holding out through training camp and potentially into the regular season, the Chiefs will need players like Karlaftis to pick up the extra weight. Jones had over 15 sacks last season, and while Patrick Mahomes and KC's offense can score with any team in football, they need to be able to rush the passer to get the ball back in Mahomes's hands.

While Karlaftis only had 4.5 sacks in his final season at Purdue, that was largely because he was facing double and triple teams. Assuming Jones does come back at some point, he should find rushing the passer in the NFL surprisingly refreshing for a younger player.

Kansas City Chiefs rumors: Brittany Mahomes corrects pregnancy rumors

Some unfounded rumors on social media last week suggested that Brittany Mahomes was expecting her third child with her husband, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Those rumors turned out not to be true via a brief Instagram Q&A Brittany did this week.

When asked if she was expecting, Brittany said no, and then went a step further to say she's not sure if the couple even want another child.

"I'm not really sure where this rumor started but no I am not pregnant," Brittany wrote. "There are a lot of these [questions]… lol. "We aren't sure (when we want more children) honestly!"

Patrick and Brittany already have two kids of their own in Sterling and Patrick Mahomes III. Brittany just gave birth eight months ago, so to take on the task for a third time in a such a short span would be...a lot for someone who has their own business ventures to worry about.

Of course, Mahomes didn't outright deny that the couple would consider having more childen in the future, it's just not in the cards at the moment. Brittany's response goes to show how far some on social media are willing to go to reinforce unfounded rumors. Mahomes wasn't even sure why or how the rumors started, and qas quick to the draw when asked directly about them.

Kansas City Chiefs rumors: Patrick Mahomes sounds bothered by Chris Jones absence

It's finally set in for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes -- he may have to start the season without start defensive end Chris Jones. Jones, who had over 15 sacks last season, is a key member of this team. Not having him on the team will make any Super Bowl defense all the more tough.

"I know how much Chris loves the Chiefs. I just try to stay out of it and tell Chris I love him. We know he's preparing himself. ... I don't think anyone expected him to be out this long. He's a vital part of this organization," Mahomes said.

As for Jones himself, he has gone as far as to say he'll come back Week 8 at the earliest if the Chiefs don't give him a new contract extension. While most pundits expected Jones and Kansas City to come to an agreement during training camp, the regular season is just a few weeks away for the Chiefs, who open up at home against the Detroit Lions. Jones would be a notable absence as KC receives their Super Bowl rings.

Brett Veach doesn't intend to trade his star pass rusher. He's far too important to this team. If Jones is willing to incur the fines that come with not showing up to mandatory events, then there isn't much the Chiefs front office can do.

"You reach this point where you, I think, both parties want to just kind of take a deep breath and reset a little bit. And then (the talks) become less frequent, but at the same time, I mean, the start of the season is Sept. 7," Veach said a few weeks ago. "So by nature, they're gonna have to heat up again. And like I said, that's why we're still optimistic."

Until now, Kansas City has been unwilling to make Jones the highest-paid player at his position. He's on the other side of 30, and while productive, the Chiefs are trying to maintain a dynasty. That isn't done by giving a player who is perhaps over the hill one of the largest deals in NFL history.

That leaves both sides at an impasse.