Jerick McKinnon remains a free agent and some players appear to be fighting to recruit him.
Former Kansas City Chiefs S Juan Thornhill took to Twitter in an attempt to recruit McKinnon to the Cleveland Browns, where he signed as a free agent this offseason.
“Yo (Jerick McKinnon) need a play to stay in Cleveland,” he asked.
It didn’t take long for a current member of the Chiefs to repel Thornhill’s attempts. Kadarius Toney quoted Thornhill’s tweet with the following response.
Nuh uh i got em a spot https://t.co/SAGGRiTjyc
— Kadarius Toney (@0fficialC2N) April 15, 2023
Toney and McKinnon played in just 10 combined regular and postseason games together last season, but they seem to have developed a good bond. Toney would clearly prefer to see his friend return to Kansas City as opposed to elsewhere.
McKinnon has expressed some frustration on Twitter, presumably regarding his free agent market. It has been a quiet market, in general, for players at the running back position. Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette, Kareem Hunt and Kenyan Drake are all still out there and available.
There just doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of demand for a soon-to-be 31-year-old running back with an injury history. Kansas City was the only team to show interest in McKinnon when the 49ers cut ties. They re-signed him in June last offseason, well after OTAs and mandatory minicamp. I suspect if he ends up with the Chiefs again in 2023, he’ll be signed after that portion of the offseason concludes.
