After observing their offseason activity, the Kansas City Star notes the Chiefs “haven’t seem sold” on Cassel, and are sending “mixed signals” on what they plan to do at the quarterback position.

Coach Romeo Crennel didn’t exactly give him a glowing endorsement, either, saying he needs to improve his “consistency,” which has long been an Achilles heel of Cassel’s. In February, Crennel gushed over the possibility of signing Peyton Manning, an overture that almost brought tampering charges upon the organization.

Cassel’s seat looked to cool down a bit after Kyle Orton signed with the Cowboys, and the Chiefs brought in Brady Quinn to be the primary clipboard holder instead. Quinn is a career backup who no team has entrusted as its starter, so it’s a stretch to think he can climb up the depth chart.

The Star believes the Chiefs could select Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill in this month’s draft, assuming he gets by the other quarterback-needy clubs in the top ten.

Though he conducted a private work out for the Chiefs, Tannehill is the reported to be the apple of both the Browns and Dolphins’ eye, who pick at No. 4 and No. 8, respectively. Kansas City, sitting at No. 11, will likely have to trade up to secure his services.

In recent years, the Chiefs have disregarded first-round signal-callers, passing on Joe Flacco, Josh Freeman, and Mark Sanchez when given the opportunity. They’ve instead went with Cassel, their $63 million investment, who threw for 1713 yards, 10 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 2011 before a broken hand prematurely ended his campaign.

Obviously, nothing is yet set in stone, but the trend they’ve set for themselves might come to an end in a mere 18 days.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Chiefs signed Hillis to a one-year, $3 million contract on Wednesday.

Ready to start fresh, Hillis took to Twitter for the first time in months, expressing his thoughts on the move (and also changing his background to something more team-appropriate.)

Appreciate all my fans in Cleveland for the support given to me in my time there. Can’t wait to get back on the field and go to work in KC.

— Peyton Hillis (@thepeytonhillis) March 14, 2012

After rushing for 1,177 yards in 2010, earning, amongst other things, the cover of ‘Madden NFL 12′, Hillis followed it up with a dreadful 2011 campaign, which was derailed by injuries, off-field incidents, and contractual differences.

In K.C., where he’ll be reunited with offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, Hillis projects to be the “thunder” to Jamaal Charles‘ “lightning,” and should make for a good insurance policy in case Charles, who’s coming off of a torn ACL, has a setback in his rehab.

It was a no-doubt transaction for the Chiefs, who let fellow backs Thomas Jones, Jackie Battle, and Le’Ron McClain walk in free agency.

Provided he can stay healthy (and happy), Hillis will be a significant upgrade over Jones in short-yardage situations, and a solid security outlet for quarterback Matt Cassel.

Per the Kansas City Star, the Chiefs slapped Bowe with the franchise tag on Monday, just minutes before the 4 p.m. deadline.

This move was widely anticipated with Bowe and the Chiefs unable to come to terms on a long-term deal, a recurring theme for many other NFL wideouts. (See: Welker, Wes.)

Reportedly seeking an extremely lucrative contract, the expectation is that Bowe, a one-time All-Pro, will play out the 2012 season on the one-year, $9.4 million tender.

The Chiefs’ leading receiver of the past five seasons, Bowe hauled in a career-high 81 passes, posting 1,159 yards and five touchdowns in 2011, despite a shaky quarterback situation and an offensive group that generally lacked ability.

Bowe joins Welker, DeSean Jackson, and Stevie Johnson as receivers who’ve been issued the tag.

That’s a big no-no to the NFL, who may take disciplinary action for the head coach’s flub.

According to the Kansas City Star, Crennel is facing a fine and the Chiefs could be stripped of a draft pick for possible tampering charges made at the Combine Saturday.

During a news conference, Crennel was asked about Manning and if he’d consider bringing the quarterback aboard.

He responded, “I’m not supposed to talk about anyone else’s players. He’s still a player with Indianapolis. But with a talent like that, I would be crazy not to consider it if he were available. I’ll leave it at that.”

On the subject of Henne, who’d be reunited with offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, Crennel said, “Because of his relationship with Daboll, I think that would be a consideration. To say right now that would be the case, I’m not ready to do that.”

Those comments seem harmless, but the league strictly enforces its tampering policy, which reads in part: “Any public or private statement of interest, qualified or unqualified, in another club’s player to that player’s agent or representative, or to a member of the news media, is a violation of this Anti-Tampering Policy.”

ESPN’s Paul Kuharsky believes what Crennel said isn’t off-limits, and therefore shouldn’t be punishable.

“If that loses the Chiefs a draft pick, then sign me up with those petitioning for an alteration of the tampering rules,” Kuharsky writes.

However, as much as I (and probably many of you) agree with Kuharsky’s line of thinking, this is ultimately a league matter, and, as always, only they have the final say.

Todd Haley’s case is no different, though his grapes — or more appropriately, arrows — go way beyond the realm of the NFL.

In a first-hand account by the Kansas City Star, Haley, just days after he was fired, opened up about what he perceived to be secretive — and illegal — operations inside the organization.

Haley suspected that “many rooms” at the team facility were “bugged,” and his own personal cellphone was “tampered with” during his time as Chiefs’ head coach. He believed the purpose of the alleged spying was to “monitor employees’ conversations.”

Now, this definitely reeks of paranoia by Haley, whose peculiar and volatile personality leads some to think he’s a few cards short of a deck. Though, there appears to be more Deep Throat here than just a disgruntled (former) employee.

The Star talked to “more than two dozen current and former employees” who hinted that Haley’s suspicions are valid, saying “intimidation and secrecy are among the Chiefs’ principal management styles.”

“When you’re mentally abused, you eventually lose it, too,” one former longtime Chiefs executive said.

The report proceeds to delve into GM Scott Pioli, whose tenure has supposedly been marred by “constant worry” and even “age discrimination” with the franchise’s upheaval in recent years.

“The level of paranoia was probably the highest that I had ever seen it anywhere,” another former high-ranking staffer said. “… If you make the wrong step, you might not be able to pay your mortgage.”

These are certainly severe accusations, which, if they hold water, could bring about a scandal the league hasn’t seen since SpyGate in 2007. However, it wasn’t wiretaps and FBI-like protocol that cost Haley his job. A string of losses and uninspired play by his team, capped off by a mid-December blowout loss at the hands of the Jets, ultimately led to his walking papers.

Only, the man for the job has already held the job in recent weeks, and the positive results that followed must’ve convinced Kansas City’s brass to call off the search.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Chiefs are expected to retain Romeo Crennel for the 2012 season. He’ll lose the interim tag from his title, making him the team’s next head coach.

Crennel took over as interim coach when Todd Haley was fired after Week 14.

In Crennel’s stint as the temporary head man, the Chiefs played better than they had all season, winning 2 of their 3 last three games. The highlight of their season came in Week 15 against the then-undefeated Packers, whom they upset in shocking fashion, 19-14.

With a chance to play spoiler (of sorts) to the divisional rival Broncos in the regular season-finale, Crennel and K.C. met the challenge, befuddling Tim Tebow and Co. en route to a 7-3 victory.

Although their 7-9 record is nothing to write home about, it was obvious the team fought harder for the player-friendly Crennel, and likely respected him more than Haley, a hard-nosed disciplinarian.

The Chiefs have to address a few areas, but it’s not like Crennel has to overhaul the personnel. He already has surprisingly stingy defense in place, and an offense that will get its game-breaker — running back Jamaal Charles — back next season.

Playing in a notoriously weak division, where 8-8 is usually good enough for a postseason berth, there’s no reason to think Crennel can’t find immediate success in the Midwest.

Life is even better when you’re paid quite handsomely for your efforts.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Chiefs signed kicker Ryan Succop to a five-year, $14 million extension Friday.

The deal, which runs through 2016, includes a $2 million signing bonus and $2 million in guaranteed salary for next season.

The value of the new pact could reach as high as $14.675 million if additional incentives are met.

Succop was drafted in 2009 by Kansas City and has connected on 69-of-84 career field goals. This season, he’s made 24-of-29 tries, with a long of 54-yards.

Now financially set — both in life and the NFL — Succop, formerly known as Mr. Irrelevant, figures to remain in K.C. for the long term.

On Monday, the Chiefs fired Haley — effective immediately — with three games remaining in the 2011 season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

“This was a difficult decision but one that we feel is best for the future of the Chiefs,” Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said in the statement. “Although there have been bright spots at different points this season, we have not made meaningful progress and we felt that it was necessary to make a change. We appreciate Todd’s contributions during his time with the club, and we wish him well in the future.”

The Chiefs, who currently sport a 5-8 record, were decimated by injuries this year, losing running back Jamaal Charles and quarterback Matt Cassel to season-ending ailments. Those were the same players who, just one season ago, guided K.C. to an AFC West title in Cinderella-like fashion.

All in all, the team was 19-27 in two-plus seasons with Haley, making him a prime candidate for a pink slip, despite the recent trip to the postseason.

Although they did not outright name an interim coach, a source told Schefter that defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel will receive those duties for the last three weeks.

For the long term, however, they’ll go in another direction, likely searching for someone who has ties to general manager Scott Pioli. Possibilities include former Broncos coach Josh McDaniels and Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz.

He’s safe under center, at least temporarily, according to his coach.

During a conference call Wednesday, Kansas City coach Todd Haley announced that Palko will start at quarterback against the Bears on Sunday, although there’s a chance Orton may enter the game if necessary.

“Tyler is our starter, [but] we have to get Kyle ready to play,” Haley said on a conference call with the Chicago media. “He might have to play, he might not. That’s the situation right now as we speak.

Haley added that he’s split the practice reps in favor of Palko, but still needs Orton to get up to speed quickly.

“The reps will go about 60-40. It’s not like Kyle has been sitting around here for two years. We need him ready to go in any capacity.”

If this holds up come game-time, it will be Palko’s second consecutive start, replacing Matt Cassel, who was lost for the season. His first, which happened to come against Pittsburgh’s vaunted defense, didn’t go swimmingly. Palko turned the ball over four times, mostly due to awful decision-making, and might’ve single-handily cost the Chiefs the game.

If Palko bombs again at Solider Field, then the team could be forced to insert Orton to see if his veteran presence and abilities help spark a struggling offense.

During their 48-3 beatdown at the hands of the Lions, running back Jamaal Charles went down awkwardly after crashing into Detroit’s mascot and had to be carted off of the field. It wasn’t a good sign when he immediately clutched his knee while writing in pain.

The initial diagnosis isn’t good, either.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Charles suffered a torn ACL and is expected to miss the rest of the 2011 season. He’ll undergo an MRI Monday, though the team is reportedly fearing the worst for the 24-year-old playmaker.

If he’s indeed done, Charles will have finished with just 12 carries for 83 yards, along with a receiving touchdown. A stark contract from his 2010 campaign, when he rushed for 1,467 yards and scored eight total touchdowns.

Going forward, K.C. is expected to field a by-committee backfield approach, with Thomas Jones, Dexter McCluster, Le’Ron McClain, and Jackie Battle splitting the load. No matter who totes the rock, however, won’t be able to match Charles’ explosiveness or game-changing ability.

This is obviously a crushing blow to a squad that’s been outscored 89-10 in their first two contests. Coach Todd Haley‘s seat has to be uncomfortably warm right now, and should they continue to sputter, there’s a fair chance he could be let go at some point by season’s end.