Who Should I Start? Pharaoh Brown or Irv Smith Jr.

Wednesday, March 13, 12:24 AM

Free-agent tight end Pharaoh Brown is signing a one-year, $3.2 million base-value deal with the Seattle Seahawks this week, according to a source. Brown can make a maximum of $3.9 million on incentives. He will give quarterback Geno Smith another veteran option in the passing game in 2024 after catching 15 passes for a career-high 208 yards and one touchdown in 17 games (11 starts) with the New England Patriots last season. The 29-year-old has just 64 receptions (88 targets) for 686 yards and three touchdowns in his six years in the NFL, so nobody is expecting Brown to become a very big part of Seattle's passing attack in 2024, especially while he plays second fiddle to primary pass-catching tight end Noah Fant. Brown had a career-high 23 receptions in 2021 with the Houston Texans.

Tuesday, March 12, 1:08 PM

Cincinnati Bengals free-agent tight end Irv Smith Jr. reached an agreement on an undisclosed one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday, according to a source. Smith had a lot of potential when he entered the league as the Minnesota Vikings' second-round pick in 2019 out of Alabama, but he hasn't lived up to the hype. The 25-year-old had his best season in his second year in the NFL, catching 30 of his 43 targets for 365 yards and five touchdowns with the Vikes in 2020. In his first and only season with the Cincinnati Bengals last year, he had 18 catches on 26 targets for 115 yards and one touchdown in 12 games. In Kansas City, Smith will merely be serving as tight end insurance behind the aging Travis Kelce.