AFC Notes: Audric Estime, Patrick Mahomes, Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs

Broncos

Broncos HC Sean Payton is ready to give power RB Audric Estime more carries in his second season and was asked what he hopes to see from the Notre Dame product. 

“He’s a back that requires enough touches,” Payton began, via a transcript from NFL.com. “He’s going to get those opportunities.”

“Year 2 for him,” Payton replied. “Just running style and his physicality, the things that got him drafted. The things that we saw. [It was] a little bit harder for him last year — for a handful of these guys. I don’t want to say the grade was incomplete, but they just didn’t have enough [touches].”

Chargers

Veteran S Tony Jefferson re-signed with the Chargers for his age-33 season after getting four starts in 2024. Jefferson feels great physically compared to last year and thanked the organization for sticking with him when his body wasn’t right. 

“I feel renewed,” Jefferson said, via Omar Navarro of the team’s website. “I feel fresh… It was a transition not playing, having a year off and then coming in. I always think back at that minicamp when I came in, I was not in shape.”

“Thank you, Jesse [Minter] and Joe [Hortiz], for taking a chance on me on that because I don’t know how good I looked on film then.”

Chiefs

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is entering the ninth year of his NFL career in 2025. He feels their recent additions to the team give him some “new juice and a new spirit” going into next season. 

“First off, kids, I feel like age you a little bit. Having three kids makes you grow up, but it’s been a fun run,” Mahomes said, via ChiefsWire. “We’ve had a lot of great players in this building, a lot of great people, and so it makes it enjoyable to come to work every single day. I still have some guys with me that have been there the whole time, and then adding new guys gives you a new juice and a new spirit to go out there and be even better. A lot of young guys now, so I’m just trying to relate to them as much as I can, but at the same time, I’m still not 30 yet, so I feel like I can for at least right now.”

Mahomes feels he has a greater understanding of his body and the extra recovery he needs now that he’s 30 years old. 

“I think more than anything I have a better understanding of my body, so I know what I need to get in, I know the extra amount of recovery stuff I need to do, how to feel my best on a day-to-day basis,” Mahomes said. “I mean, obviously, I probably bounced back a little bit quicker when I was younger, but at the same time, I have a better plan and a better standard that I hold myself to on a day-to-day basis so I can be ready for every single practice.”