Chiefs set dates for offseason workouts
With NFLPA encouraging avoiding voluntary OTA program, unclear if players will attend
by Matt Derrick
The Chiefs are set to host a rookie minicamp in eight days followed by voluntary workouts on May 25 but the outlook remains hazy on whether players will attend.
The NFL announced minicamp and organized team practice activity (OTA) dates for all 32 clubs on Thursday. The Chiefs plan to host their rookie minicamp May 14-16. OTA workouts are set for May 25-27, June 1-3 and June 8-11. The mandatory team minicamp is set for June 15-17.
The rookie minicamp and OTA practices are voluntary activities. Players are not required to attend, and the NFL Players Association is encouraging players to bypass the voluntary sessions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league made its offseason virtual last year with no in-person practices until training camp.
The NFLPA argues that injuries were reduced while not impacting the quality of play and wants to eliminate voluntary workouts completely. Coaches such as Andy Reid disagrees, arguing that the quality of player early last season suffered and that rookies saw their development stunted.

“Being able to teach Willie Gay coming in as a rookie how to move and how to drop and your fundamentals and techniques, the different coverages that he’s got to take care of, run-fit responsibilities,” Reid said last month. “When you’re not hands-on it’s hard to walk through those things, so you end up retarding the first-year players, second-, third-year players a bit by only being able to do it virtually.”
Three teams — Indianapolis, Las Vegas and the New York Jets — are set to host their rookie minicamps this weekend. This should serve as an early barometer on the effectiveness of the NFLPA’s messaging to rookies.
Players representing a majority of NFL teams issued statements last month supporting the NFLPA’s stance on foregoing in-person workouts. The Chiefs weren’t one of those clubs, however, for a very compelling reason.
A total of Chiefs have 25 players — second behind Buffalo with 28 — have voluntary workout totaling $3.053 million. That includes defensive linemen Frank Clark and Chris Jones with $500,000 bonuses, receiver Tyreek Hill ($325,000), and safety Tyrann Mathieu, tight end Travis Kelce and offensive lineman Mike Remmers ($250,000 each). Players not attending voluntary OTAs could put those bonuses in jeopardy.
General manager Brett Veach didn’t speak definitely on Monday when asked if expected offseason workouts to take place. He said that Reid was conducting conversations with them leaders such as Mathieu and Patrick Mahomes on the status workouts.
“As far as I know, these rookies should be in here next week, and we should get this rookie camp off next week,” Veach said. Anticipating all these guys arriving here Wednesday, Thursday, getting a physical, getting geared up and getting out there and going through the first install as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.”