NFL Rumors: Tua Tagovailoa contract update, Kareem Hunt timeline, Carr-Rattler chatter

The NFL season has gotten off to quite a hot start.

Already, this season is being torn apart by injuries. We have seen players like AJ Brown, Cooper Kupp, Isaiah Pacheco, Tua Tagovailoa and Christian McCaffrey suffer injuries and miss substantial time already.

But we have also seen the likes of Baker Mayfield and Derek Carr in the middle of complete career resurgences. Both quarterbacks have taken over the league, leading the NFL in multiple passing categories.

But there is so much more going on in the headlines than just these two things. Now that Week 2 has concluded, let's look into some of the big storylines of the week.

NFL Rumors: Dolphins hold nearly $50 million worth of insurance on Tua's contract

The Miami Dolphins watched their season and the future of their franchise flash before their very eyes when their franchise quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went down to the turf, unconscious, with another concussion.

These concussions have threatened Tua's career for the last few years, but this one has landed him on the injured reserve. It's brought a ton of different talking points to the forefront for the Dolphins. What's the plan if Tua suffers a career ending injury? How would Tua's contract work, cap wise, if he suffers a career ending injury?

ESPN's Dan Graziano recently laid out the insurance that is included in the Dolphins' QB's contract.

"With discussion still swirling about the future of Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa in the wake of his latest concussion and Tuesday's assignment to injured reserve, there were reports this past weekend that the Dolphins have $49.3 million worth of insurance on Tagovailoa's $212.4 million contract. This is true, according to the copy of the contract that I obtained. The policy would apply if Tagovailoa is not cleared by doctors to return to play and would help offset the remaining $124 million in injury-guaranteed money the Dolphins would be obligated to pay if he's not cleared by doctors to return to the field."

NFL Rumors: Kareem Hunt will arrive in Kansas City sooner rather than later

The Kansas City Chiefs took quite the hit when they lost their star running back Isaiah Pacheco for the next few months with a broken leg. Pacheco won't miss the entire season, but the time that he will miss is substantial.

The Chiefs swiftly swooped up free agent running back, Kareem Hunt, in a reunion that nobody really saw coming.

ESPN's Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler recently discussed some of the big news around the NFL. Fowler specifically gave the best timeline for when we could see Kareem Hunt suiting up for the Chiefs.

"Meanwhile, the Chiefs will replace Pacheco by committee. Tuesday's addition of Kareem Hunt, the 2017 rushing champion as a rookie in Kansas City, gives the Chiefs another backfield option along with Carson Steele and Samaje Perine. Hunt worked out diligently in recent months and could get thrown into action quickly," Fowler wrote.

The Chiefs are going to need Hunt to take most of the load off Perine and Steele. While they're two capable backs, it's tough to assume they could handle a running back committee that would be able to compete in the NFL. Hunt, who has done this exact thing with the Browns, is going to need to be the top dog in that running back room, sooner rather than later.

NFL Rumors: Spencer Rattler unlikely to overtake resurgent star Derek Carr this season

One of the best stories of this young NFL season has been the complete career resurgence from New Orleans Saints quarterback, Derek Carr. Carr has been one of the more impressive QBs in the league, leading the Saints to two dominant victories led by offensive explosions.

ESPN's Dan Graziano
and Jeremy Fowler recently discussed some of the surprising quarterback situations around the league. They mentioned Derek Carr and his resurgence, but they also discussed the foolish belief that Spencer Rattler could take over as the Saints signal caller this season.

"As recently as last month, during the preseason, there were questions about whether Carr was in danger of being replaced by Spencer Rattler at some point this season. While this is evidence of my overarching theory that preseason reactions need to be doused with cold water, I think it's fair to say those conversations have died down," Graziano wrote.

There has been a growing belief that the veteran quarterbacks would just be placeholders while the young, rookie quarterbacks developed under them. Think about the expectations for Sam Darnold to hold the spot until J.J. McCarthy is ready and healthy. Think about how Alex Smith simply held the spot until Patrick Mahomes was ready.

But also, think about a situation like Atlanta. The Falcons aren't using Kirk Cousins to hold a spot until Michael Penix Jr. is ready. They're using Kirk as their guy and they have a strong backup in Penix. The same could be said with what the Green Bay Packers did with Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love.

Rattler should be seen in that light. He's Carr's backup right now. He's not challenging him for the spot.