Less than two weeks before Christmas, and in the home stretch we’re going there. My answers to your questions this week…

From Tom Marshall (@aredzonauk): Despite their record, is it fair to say now that the Chiefs are missing Tyreek Hill?

Tom, of course, in a vacuum they would love to have Hill on their team.

Remember, the genesis of this dates back to 2022, when the receiver market exploded — with the Las Vegas Raiders’ trade for Davante Adams hitting a shift in the economics of the position. The Chiefs had already begun discussions with Hill’s camp about a deal at that point, but the price tag motivated Kansas City to reconsider its options, ultimately leading to a trade with the Miami Dolphins.

The Chiefs got first, second and fourth round picks in 2022, and fourth and sixth round picks in 2023 in the deal – picks used to get Trent McDuffie, Skyy Moore, Joshua Williams, Chamarri Conner and Keondre. Coburn. McDuffie, now an All-Pro corner, has had great success. Moore missed the second round, or has been so far. Williams and Conner have been valuable depth pieces in the secondary. Coburn, a defensive tackle, is gone.

Then there’s the financial flexibility Hill gave them. The reality is that they chose Hill’s classmate Chris Jones over their receiver dynamo – a decision you make if you have a generational quarterback and another guy with high-end skills, Travis Kelce, as the focal point. Jones is as rare a talent as Hill and got the kind of third contract Hill wanted. And from there, the Chiefs gained room to make deals with younger players. One of them is Creed Humphrey. Others (McDuffie, George Karlaftis, Nick Bolton, etc.) could come.

So yes, the Chiefs miss Hill. But when you’re at the level the Chiefs have and you have the level of quarterback they have, you can’t keep everyone.

From Jeremiah (@SportsManiac2_8): Is there a chance for an NFL game in Hawaii, Japan and/or Australia?

OK, Jeremiah, one by one… Hawaii, no… Japan, not yet… Australia, maybe soon.

I just don’t think there’s any benefit to sacrificing someone’s home game by going to Hawaii, where there isn’t even a stadium that’s close to NFL standards (the old Aloha Stadium is gone, and plans are underway to replace it with a 25,000-seat arena). There are football fans there. The islands are producing players at a high rate. But the league doesn’t need to host a game there to generate interest.

The Japanese market is of course intriguing: Tokyo is the largest city in the world and there is a ton of wealth to exploit and business for an American company there. But I don’t think the interest in American football is yet at the level that baseball has always been, to justify hosting a regular season game in Tokyo.

And that brings us to Australia. There is growing interest in our greatest sport, and even a pipeline of converted rugby players (hello Jordan Mailata) and Australian rules footballers. I would say that if Sydney and Melbourne were geographically closer, it would be almost certain that Australia would have hosted a match by now. Travel logistics got in the way. But hosting the game in Brazil this year like the NFL did — placing it early in the season to alleviate travel fatigue — at least gives the league some insight into its journey Down Under.

From Baker Lake (@boulanger_lake): When was the earliest you could see the Browns back in contention?

Baker, next year.

I understand the pessimism. I went to college with Cleveland Browns fans – my freshman year at Ohio State was actually the last of three years Cleveland was without the Browns – and some of my best friends are Browns fans. So, I understand why everyone in this town is always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Especially because that’s almost always the case.

That said, I still think Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski have built a strong and lasting foundation. Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward are among the best defensive players in the NFL, playing privileged positions. The offense features Jerry Jeudy, David Njoku, Elijah Moore and veteran linemen Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio. Now left tackle and quarterback are big questions. I also know that having the latter as a hole is a But otherwise, how did the play go, Mrs. Lincoln? kind of problem, and it won’t be easy to fill by circumventing Deshaun Watson’s contract.

But I know the plan is to add competition in the quarterback room, and there are solutions that could work if Cleveland is good enough with whoever fills the position. And there is hope that Dawand Jones can become the long-term left tackle. If those two things come together, this could be a playoff team next year.

From jermaine jones (@jermaine611): Why does the NFL never talk about expansion?

Jermaine, the simplest way to explain it is to imagine that the NFL has, to make the numbers clear, $16 billion in domestic revenue in any given year. In this world, each team would earn $500 million. That means for everyone else to break even, a 33rd team would have to add another $500 million in value. Conversely, if the overall figure remained the same, each team’s cut would drop to approximately $485 million, costing each franchise $15 million.

So if the league wants to grow, given the way these things work, I think we should add markets that Really change paradigm. Going to Austin/San Antonio or St. Louis or San Diego or Portland just won’t cut it. London, on the other hand, could, as you’re talking about creating entirely new revenue streams for the league.

This is why I think the only place expansion will happen in the near future is overseas.

From KTA (@keiteay): What’s the next “battleground” for NFL stadium discussions, now that teams like Jax, Nash and Buffalo have all secured their long-term futures?

KTA, I think Kansas City is going to peak soon. Washington, under new ownership, has done a ton of work on the old RFK Stadium site, and a lot of people would like to see the team return to D.C. Chicago and Cleveland engage in some old-fashioned intercity tug-of-war and suburbs. The Denver Broncos are also on the horizon, with the deep-pocketed Walton family already eyeing a new venue. Then there are the Is their stadium really that old? surprises that arise, like Atlanta did about ten years ago.

The NFL still has shovels in the ground, especially if the league can get the public to pay for it.

From Ronnie Micle, CPA (@RonnieMicle): Do you think Robert Kraft would fire Jerod Mayo after one season and hire Mike Vrabel?

Ronnie, no. I think it would have to be a disaster all the way through for that to happen.

I would say the Kraft family respects the job Mayo did this year, keeping his team engaged and weathering a tough media environment, which all included the likes of his predecessor, Bill Belichick. Of course, the Krafs also have to take some of the blame. They were the ones who quietly set up a holding coach situation for Mayo without Belichick’s blessing, which was always a risky proposition – and, predictably, blew up for them when the 2023 season went off a cliff.

The hardest part about moving forward with Mayo will be how to manage the rest of the operation. If they want to make changes, it might be difficult to attract qualified candidates, if they think Mayo and his team will be fighting for their jobs in 2025.

That said, everyone knows Mayo got the job a year or two before anyone thought. So, I think the Krafts will show him grace for that.

From Doug McCready (@dgmccready): Do the Lions have to be the number one seed to advance to the SB?

Doug, no.

Would that help? It certainly would. In a league that has a ton of cavernous new stadiums that don’t trap noise, Ford Field is intimate and looks, from a crowd perspective, a little more like an old-school dome. This is a very difficult place to play for visitors. This would be important in January.

On the other hand, Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes have built a tough, all-weather team that holds up at the lines of scrimmage and can go anywhere and win. Philadelphia included.

From California (@CaliJets): What is your prediction of the Jets at HC and the route they take at QB (rookie round 1, Rodgers or otherwise)?

Cali, I wouldn’t dare guess on Aaron Rodgers in 2025. I think it’s extremely unpredictable.

As for the coach and general manager, I feel like fit will be a big piece of the puzzle. So maybe you’ll call on a few guys who have been in the market. I’ll give you one that’s from there, one that played there, both of whom worked for the team, and let’s say Buffalo Bills assistant general manager Brian Gaine as general manager and the Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as head coach.

I think experience will be a factor. Gaine served as general manager. Glenn hasn’t been a head coach, but he played 15 years of professional football and coached for a decade.

From Ben Devine (@Chicago_NFL): What are you hearing about the Chicago HC position? Leader of men? Offensive spirit. Past experience as HC? Is this a position as coveted as Bears leaders have expressed?

Well, I think the Chicago Bears will be looking for a leader first, and if a candidate checks other boxes, then great. Vrabel comes to mind, I just don’t know if he would go to a structured place like the Bears are currently. Glenn would also be a partner.

The quarterback part is not unimportant, of course, with Caleb Williams coming off his freshman year. I just think the franchise needs a lot more than just one guy to develop a player.

From erickleinphd (@DrEricKlein): Albert, it is clear that some organizations with head coaching vacancies would benefit from a culture change. Who are the head coaching candidates this cycle who are considered culture changers who would bring a certain level of gravitas upon entering the building?

Eric… names that fit: Vrabel, Glenn, Brian Flores… just came to mind.