Chiefs get DT Neil Farrell Jr from division-rival Raiders for draft pick, AP source says

Updated Aug. 29, 2023 5:35 p.m. ET

Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs acquired defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr. from the Las Vegas Raiders for a sixth-round pick in a rare trade among division rivals, giving Kansas City some needed depth as All-Pro pass rusher Chris Jones continues his holdout.

The Chiefs agreed to the trade on Tuesday just hours before the deadline for teams to reach the 53-man roster limit, a person familiar with the trade told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because Farrell still must pass a physical. That is not expected to be an issue after the Raiders' fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft appeared in all of their preseason games.

About an hour after the deadline passed, word spread that the Chiefs had put Jones on the reserve/did not report list. That means he will not count toward the 53-man roster and his $19.5 million base salary will not count toward the salary cap.

Jones has been holding out in the hopes of earning a lucrative long-term contract, racking up millions in fines for missing the Chiefs' mandatory minicamp, their entire training camp and three preseason games.

In a back-and-forth with fans on social media, Jones indicated he would be willing to hold out until Week 8. That would be the deadline for making sure he would accrue a full season and fulfill the terms of his four-year, $80 million contract.

Even in that case, the Chiefs could use the franchise tag on him next offseason.

Farrell, who at 6-foot-4, 325 pounds plugs a mammoth hole in the middle of the defensive line, only had 12 tackles and two quarterback hits in nine games last season. But the acquisition of the 25-year-old tackle follows a trend of Chiefs general manager Brett Veach acquiring relatively high draft picks and giving them a fresh start in Kansas City.

“God don’t make mistakes, forever blessed and highly favored,” Farrell posted on Twitter after the trade.

The Chiefs were relatively thin along the defensive line with Jones holding out. Turk Wharton missed a big chunk of training camp with a knee injury, though he should be ready to go for their Sept. 7 opener against the Detroit Lions, while defensive end Charles Omenihu will begin serving a six-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal-conduct policy.

Among the players cut by the Chiefs on Tuesday was Danny Shelton, a defensive tackle who made a push for a roster spot.

“This is the toughest day, when you have to make the cuts because these guys have busted their tails through all the OTAs and then through the training camp,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "They all can’t be here unfortunately.”

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl