Kansas City wide receiver Demarcus Robinson has 45 receptions for 466 yards and three touchdowns this season. Brett Duke/Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs placed a pair of backups, wide receiver Demarcus Robinson and center Daniel Kilgore, on the COVID-19 list as close contacts Monday as they begin final preparations for the Super Bowl against Tampa Bay.

Chiefs coach Andy said he was told of the situation Sunday but could provide no other information.

Neither of the players actually tested positive for COVID-19, which means Robinson – a regular contributor – and Kilgore could still play in the Super Bowl. Both would need to return negative tests throughout the week to get off the list.

“The NFL has done a great job with it, presenting different safety things for the players to stay as safe as possible,” Reid said. “We’ve been hammering this point home forever. The problem is you’re fighting the invisible man. It just gets you when least expected, and we’re seeing that in everything. It’s an unfortunate thing.”

The Chiefs have been largely clear of COVID-19 outbreaks this season, though several players have missed games after testing positive. They also are not changing the way they conduct business within their facility leading up to the game.

The big difference: Rather than heading to the site of the Super Bowl a week in advance, like they did last season, the Chiefs will fly to Tampa, Florida, the day before the game in an attempt to minimize contacts among players and the public.

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“These guys were being as safe as they could be,” Reid said, “and we’ll just see how it goes. But the league has built-in rules and regulations, so we follow those, and it’ll all work out. It’ll all work out for them when it’s all said and done.”

Kilgore started four games earlier this season when center Austin Reiter missed three games to an injury, and when the Chiefs rested their starters in Week 17 with the AFC’s top seed already secured. He also played some special teams snaps against the Buffalo Bills in the conference championship game.

Robinson appeared in every game this season, setting career highs with 45 receptions for 466 yards to go with three touchdown catches. He also can return kicks and punts and helps out with other special teams units.

“Obviously D-Rob is a big part of our offense and hopefully he’s out there with us,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “If not, we have guys that can step up. We’ll just prepare to be the best team we can be.”

DESHAUN WATSON: The Deshaun Watson-Houston Texans divide continues to widen as the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback has removed the team from his social media accounts.

In his Instagram profile, Watson removed a photo of him in a Texans uniform and replaced it with a picture of him dressed in plain clothes.

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Watson, who has formally asked the Texans to trade him, also removed any mention of himself as being the team’s quarterback in his bio. His Twitter account also has no mention of him being a member of the Texans organization.

This latest sign of growing discontent will only further add fuel to the speculation that Watson likely has played his final snap for the Texans. He has made it perfectly clear in recent weeks that he no longer wants to be part of the Cal McNair-run Texans.

The Miami Dolphins and New York Jets have been linked as possible destinations for Watson, who has been unhappy with the direction of the Texans organization for some time.

PACKERS: Green Bay General Manager Brian Gutekunst and Coach Matt LaFleur sais they expect Aaron Rodgers to remain their team’s starting quarterback in 2021 and beyond on Monday during season-ending Zoom sessions with reporters.

After the Packers’ 31-26 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC championship game, Rodgers had said, “there’s a lot of guys’ futures that are uncertain, myself included.”

“We’re really excited not only for next year, but the years to come,” Gutekunst said.

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When asked specifically whether that meant keeping Rodgers beyond the 2021 season, Gutekunst said, “Absolutely.” Rodgers has three years remaining on a four-year, $134 million contract extension he signed in August 2018.

Rodgers’ long-term future has been a topic of league-wide speculation ever since the Packers traded up four picks to take Utah State quarterback Jordan Love with the 26th overall selection in the 2020 draft. Rodgers has said on multiple occasions that the Love selection complicated his own hopes of playing his entire career with Green Bay.

The subject came up again when Rodgers discussed his future after the NFC championship game. The two-time MVP clarified his remarks two days later on SiriusXM Radio’s “The Pat McAfee Show” by saying that “I don’t think there’s any reason why I wouldn’t be back” but adding that “there’s not many absolutes, as you guys know, in this business.”

JASON WITTEN is becoming a high school football coach after his second retirement from the NFL. The 11-time Pro Bowl tight end was named Monday as the new head coach at Liberty Christian School in Argyle, Texas, which is only about 30 miles from the headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys.

The 38-year-old Witten spent his final season with the Las Vegas Raiders, and said last week that he was retiring from the NFL after 17 seasons. He retired for the first time after the 2017 season with Dallas to become an analyst for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” but returned for a club-record 16th year with the Cowboys in 2019 before going to the Raiders in free agency.

A third-round pick out of Tennessee in 2003, Witten ended his career fourth on the NFL career list with 1,228 catches. He’s second among tight ends to Tony Gonzalez, who is also the only other tight end with more yards (15,127 to 13,046). Witten is the Cowboys franchise leader in games, starts, catches and yards receiving.


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