Dec 26, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Drue Tranquill (49) in the second half against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Drue Tranquill Details Kansas City Chiefs’ Free Agency Recruitment
The Kansas City Chiefs' linebacker duo of Nick Bolton and Willie Gay Jr. emerged as a pretty serious threat down the stretch of last season, and the team's investment in the position group doesn't stop there. Not only is top-100 draft pick Leo Chenal in the ranks after being selected by Kansas City in the 2022 NFL Draft, but the club's offseason signing of Drue Tranquill is expected to add even more punch to an already talented room.
Tranquill, now a few months into his experience as a Chief, played his first four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. Facing AFC West opponents multiple times a year, Tranquill had witnessed firsthand what the Chiefs are capable of on several occasions. Coming off a career year in which he logged 146 tackles, five sacks, four passes broken up, an interception and a forced fumble, the former Notre Dame standout was expected to have a competitive free agent market. He ended up inking a one-year deal with the Chiefs — a contract worth a base of $3 million and containing some incentives to max out at $5M. The process to get there stood out to him.
On a recent appearance on NFL Network, Tranquill opened up about his decision to leave Los Angeles and come to Kansas City. Citing the Chiefs' full-court press from the front office and head coach Andy Reid as a contributing factor in his decision, the 27-year-old said he's excited to get to work. Here's the full quote:
"To me, obviously, football is a business but football's also a family. So you know, I poured my heart out there for four years in LA and unfortunately, things didn't work out. But I was really honored by the way the Chiefs pursued me all the way from the front office down to the coaching staff. Andy Reid literally texted me the morning of, when I was going to make my decision. He was like, 'Think red. Think red. Think Super Bowls.' So I just felt really valued over there [and] felt like they really had a role for me and really wanted me over there. So I'm excited to join up with those guys. I'm going to miss a lot of my teammates and coaches over there in LA, but [I'm] excited for this next step."
This isn't the first time that Reid has allegedly reached out to free agents with texts, as wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster mentioned back in 2021 that Reid sent him pictures of the Chiefs' Lombardi Trophy "constantly" when he was fielding free agent offers. Those efforts didn't totally pay off until a year later, although it's becoming obvious that Reid will play the recruiter role if there's a prospective new addition he likes.
Tranquill was the latest — or at least the latest to share about it — and now Kansas City has one of the better linebacker rooms in the NFL as the 2023 season approaches.
