The Chiefs and running back Jamaal Charles have agreed to a five-year, $32.5 million contract with $13 million guaranteed. Charles’ 1,137 rushing yards this season tie him with Chris Johnson and rank him third behind Arian Foster and Maurice Jones-Drew for most rushing yards in the NFL.

The new deal works for both sides, as the Chiefs lock up one of the league’s most dangerous runners and Charles is now able to hit free agency at 28 (two years before the dreaded age of 30 for running backs). Now the Chiefs can turn their attention to locking up outside linebacker Tamba Hali, who is an impeding free agent.

In other Kansas City-related news, quarterback Matt Cassel is listed as doubtful for Week 14. That means Brodie Croyle will start under center for the Chiefs in their important battle with division rival San Diego on Sunday. Croyle hasn’t seen action since Week 13 of last season.

Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel is in jeopardy of missing Week 1 of the regular season after suffering an MCL injury in Kansas City’s most recent preseason game.

From Yahoo! Sports.com:

Cassel, who the Chiefs acquired in a trade with New England this offseason, was hurt Saturday night in an exhibition game against Seattle. The injury is not expected to require surgery because MCL injuries usually heal on their own.

However, the injury means Cassel could miss the Chiefs’ season opener at Baltimore on Sept. 13. If Cassel can’t play, Tyler Thigpen(notes) is expected to start the season. Thigpen, who had been the subject of trade rumors earlier this week, played in 14 games last season when the Chiefs went through injuries at quarterback. He finished the season with 18 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 76.0.

The fact that he won’t need surgery is good for the long-term status of the team, although it has to be disappointing for both Cassel and the Chiefs that he won’t be lining up under center in Week 1.

After a brutal start last season, Thigpen actually played well in the second half and offers Todd Haley starting experience. That doesn’t mean that Thigpen will fair well in Baltimore, but at least Haley doesn’t have to worry about trotting out a rookie QB in his team’s season opener.

One thing to note is that Thigpen has leapfrogged Brodie Croyle on the Chiefs’ depth chart. Croyle was the Week 1 starter last year and was once viewed as the long-term answer under center. His time as a starter definitely came to an end when the team acquired Cassel, although now it appears that even his time as a backup (at least in Kansas City) could be dwindling as well.

Obviously, this is worrisome for Cassel owners, but if you’re following our QBBC strategy, and drafted Cassel as part of a committee, you probably weren’t planning to use Cassel against the Ravens in Week 1 anyway. He should be able to play in Week 2 or Week 3 at the latest, so while his value is certainly hurt as a starting QB, he still holds similar value as a backup or a part of a committee.

Brodie Croyle claimed his starting quarterback job Sunday in Kansas City after missing most of the season with a separated shoulder suffered in Week 1. He completed 9 of 10 passes for 63 yards and promptly was knocked out of the game with a knee injury. The team announced after the game – a 34-10 Titans’ victory – that he’ll miss the rest of the season.

Croyle attempted just 29 passes in two starts this year. Talk about bad luck.

As for the Titans, they thumped a team they should have thumped and looked impressive doing so. Chris Johnson made yet another push for Offensive Rookie of the Year, rushing for 168 yards and a score on just 18 carries. LenDale White also added 149 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries.

It’s hard not to be impressed by Tennessee this year. Their defense is playing as well as anyone in the league and while Kerry Collins isn’t lighting up the stat sheet, he’s not making mistakes and isn’t forcing passes. There’s nothing flashy about this team, but they do all the little things right and have struck a nice balance on offense. In the upcoming weeks, they face the Colts, Packers, Bears and Jaguars, so they’ll get several tests over the next month to see where they’re at as a team.

Rotoworld.com (via Jay Glazer of FOX Sports.com) is reporting that the Kansas City Chiefs contacted Cleveland about acquiring second year quarterback Brady Quinn, but the Browns turned them down.

Cleveland turned them down and Quinn dynasty owners can only hope that the Browns don’t reconsider. With Cleveland 0-2 and Derek Anderson struggling mightily over his past seven games, Quinn’s chances of taking over at some point appear pretty good. Also interesting to note: Chiefs fans recently started a “GetBradyNow.com” website. We doubt a deal will happen.

The Chiefs are hurting. Brodie Croyle wasn’t ready to be an NFL starter, but KC had little choice but to throw him into the fire this year and now he’s out with a separated shoulder. Croyle’s backup, Damon Huard, got hurt last week and now former Vikings-reject Tyler Thigpen is the starter. (Yikes.)

With how bad Anderson has been in two games, the Browns had no choice but to turn the Chiefs away. If Anderson continues to struggle, there’s no doubt Romeo Crennel will throw Quinn into the mix in efforts to save his job.

Tom Brady left the New England Patriots’ 17-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday after his leg bent backwards during a passing play. Brady was able to walk off the field, but he didn’t return. It’s unclear at this point how bad the injury is.

Matt Cassel filled in well for Brady, throwing for 152 yards on 13 of 18 passing and a touchdown. Much like last year, Laurence Maroney split carries with Sammy Morris. Both backs got 10 carries as Morris rushed for 53 and Maroney 51, respectively. Randy Moss had 116 receiving yards on six receptions and hooked up with Brady for a first quarter touchdown.

The Chiefs also lost their starting quarterback after Brodie Croyle suffered a separated shoulder. Damon Huard finished the game and will likely start next week. KC gave the Pats everything they could handle without Brady, but dropped passes plagued the team all game. Larry Johnson rushed for 74 yards on 22 carries, but more importantly he looked healthy. I realize Brady didn’t play the entire game, but the Chiefs might not be as bad as people think this season based on their performance Sunday.

UPDATE: Michael Silver from Yahoo! Sports is reporting that Tom Brady may be out for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee. We’ll see if these reports are confirmed.