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The Oakland Raiders may be replacing one of the best punters of all time with one of the most famous punters ever.

Chris Kluwe, who was recently cut by the Minnesota Vikings, told Fox Sports that he will be signing a one-year deal with the Raiders.

An Oakland pursuit of Kluwe made sense as the Raiders did not have a punter with any NFL experience on the roster after star Shane Lechler departed to Houston in free agency. Oakland has Marquette King, who spent last season on injured reserve. Although King showed potential and impressed with a booming leg last season, he is raw and inconsistent.

Oakland looked at veteran punters Jason Baker and Mat McBriar last week. Signing Kluwe is the best option, and he'll likely be the favorite to win the job because of his eight years of NFL experience. But if King is the better punter this summer, there could be competition for the starting job.

Kluwe has rare notoriety for a punter. He is a colorful character and he is outspoken, including his stance on gay rights.

Kluwe, a native Californian, already has some Raiders in him. He was fined last season for writing a tribute to legendary Oakland punter Ray Guy on his uniform.

So, in all aspects, this seems like a nice fit.

Meanwhile, the Josh Cribbs signing in Oakland is not official, although he and his agents have said the wide receiver is heading there. The Raiders must cut a player to make room for him on the 90-man roster. Another player will have to be cut to make room for Kluwe.

Also, the agent for safety Charles Woodson told ESPN’s Josina Anderson that the Denver Broncos, the Raiders and a new team are all talking to his client. Woodson visited the Broncos and had a good visit there. ESPN’s Ed Werder is reporting the Giants are now interested.

It’s been no secret that Mike McCoy’s primary goal as he takes over as the head coach of the San Diego Chargers is getting quarterback Philip Rivers back on track.

It seems McCoy not only thinks he can fix Rivers, who has struggled some in the past two years, but he thinks he can make Rivers the most accurate quarterback he has ever been.

McCoy told Sports Illustrated he wants Rivers to complete 70 percent of his passes. Rivers completed 64.1 percent of his passes last season. He career high was 66 percent in 2010, and he has a career completion average of 63.6 percent.

Last year in Denver, McCoy helped Peyton Manning complete 68.6 percent of his throws. That was the best average of his career. Still, 70 percent is a lofty goal.

In the past five years, only one quarterback has completed more than 70 percent of his passes, and Drew Brees accomplished it twice.

The Oakland Raiders are kicking the tires on a now-healthy Josh Cribbs, according to several reports.

The Cleveland free agent nearly signed a deal with Arizona early in free agency. But he wasn’t fully recovered from surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee.

I was told that Cribbs had a “great visit” with Oakland, and the Raiders are one of four teams interested in Cribbs. The Raiders’ interest in Cribbs is not a surprise. The Raiders looked at Domenik Hixon earlier in free agency. Like Hixon, Cribbs is a return man and a receiver. Cribbs, who will turn 30 next month, has been a dynamic return man in his career, but he is aging. His highest season reception total came in 2011 when he had 41 catches.

If he signs with Oakland, Cribbs would be insurance for receiver/returner Jacoby Ford, who has been hampered by foot injuries.

In other AFC West notes:

USA Today is reporting the Kansas City Chiefs are considering Jeff Morrow of Carolina and Marvin Allen of the Falcons for their director of college scouting opening. The new regime is adding pieces to the scouting department.

Denver free-agent receiver Matthew Willis recently worked out for New England.

UPDATE: ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Cribbs is also going to visit the New York Jets.

During free agency, there were reports that Oakland free-agent defensive lineman Richard Seymour was only interested in playing for a big-dollar contract.

However, the NFL Network reports that Seymour is highly interested in continuing to play. There is very little money out there at this point, so Seymour will not be looking at big money. He has to know that, so it appears Seymour is willing to play for what will be offered. Seymour will likely command a decent salary (for this time of the year) on a short-term deal.

Seymour is 33, his play has declined, and he has dealt with a lot of injuries in recent seasons. Still, the word around the league is he might be able to help a contender in a limited role. Seymour play in multiple schemes, and can play defensive end and defensive tackle. So, he could be attractive for a team looking for a veteran to play 20-25 snaps a game.

Denver was previously mentioned as a possible landing spot for Seymour. Yet, the Broncos have added to their defensive line in free agency and in the draft, so there is no pressing need there.

Could Seymour return to Oakland? I think Seymour would like to play for a contender. But he often said how much he enjoyed playing in Oakland after his 2009 trade from New England.

Oakland general manager Reggie McKenzie has not shown much interest in bringing back players from the former regime. But Oakland does have some holes on the defensive line, and perhaps if the price is right, the sides could come to agreement. But as of now, I think the odds are Seymour plays elsewhere.

San Diego general manager Tom Telesco told a San Diego radio station that he is happy with his group of quarterbacks when asked if he’d ever have interest in signing free-agent quarterback Tim Tebow.

Tebow’s offensive coordinator in Denver was new San Diego coach Mike McCoy. Telesco’s position doesn’t surprise me. I just don’t see the Tebow fit in San Diego.

Meanwhile, for what it is worth, the Chargers’ addition of former Green Bay inside linebacker D.J. Smith last week was a waiver claim and not a free-agent signing. He is recovering from a knee injury, but he is expected to be able to help early in the season. He will probably play special teams and be a key backup now that Manti Te'o has been drafted to start.

In other AFC West notes:

The Baltimore Sun reports the Raiders signed long-snapper Nick Guess. He is being brought in for camp. He was with Oakland for a brief time last year when Jon Condo was hurt.

In an Insider piece: Mel Kiper thinks tight end Mychal Rivera, a sixth-round pick, can help the Raiders . Rivera will get a chance to play because the Raiders have a need at the position.

Mid-week mail call:

Eric from San Jose wants to know if I think Oakland linebacker Miles Burris has a strong future.

Bill Williamson: Sure, Burris did a nice job as a rookie last year. A lot of scouts I talk to think he will be an average linebacker, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Oakland brought in some veteran linebackers on short-term deals and drafted Sio Moore, but I think Burris will have a role in Oakland for the foreseeable future.

Josh Edwards from Manhattan, Kan., wants to know if I think the Chiefs can sign Brian Urlacher.

BW: Anything can happen and the Chiefs could use a veteran at inside linebacker, but I just don’t see it at this point and time. But, I guess things can always change.

Rich Mahler from New York wants to know if the Broncos have plans for Ben Garland.

BW: The former Air Force player is a team favorite. They like him so much they are giving him another chance. He is being moved from defensive tackle to offensive tackle. He has been developed on the practice squad. Coaches and players really like him. He has some skills and he works hard. But he will have to show he has a future on offense or his NFL dream may end.

Monday, we wondered if San Diego Chargers coach Mike McCoy would be interested in a reunion with Tim Tebow.

It turns out our instincts were right. Neither the Chargers nor any other team in the NFL put a waiver claim on Tebow, who was cut by the New York Jets. I am not surprised AFC West teams passed on the former Denver quarterback.

Of course, that could change. Tebow is now a free agent. Could the Chargers and McCoy, who was Tebow’s offensive coordinator in Denver, or another AFC West team make a play for Tebow? I wouldn’t count on it.

In other AFC West notes:

Meet No. 1 overall pick Eric Fisher -- Everyman.

The Broncos signed Brigham Young defensive tackle Romney Fuga. Denver previously added 15 undrafted free agents.

The Raiders signed kicker Eddy Carmona. He was with the team last summer. Teams have a backup kicker in the preseason.

Jacksonville receiver Justin Blackmon has been suspended for the first four games of the season. The Jaguars play against the Chiefs and Raiders in the first two weeks of the season.

A cartoonist at the U-T San Diego is having a little fun in welcoming Manti Te’o to town.

The San Diego Chargers took the polarizing Notre Dame linebacker in the second round of the draft. Te’o was involved in a bizarre hoax that centered on a dead girlfriend who never existed.

My advice to Te’o: Grin and bear it. It will go away at some point.

In other AFC West notes:

In an Insider piece, ESPN analyst Bill Polian likes the addition of running back Montee Ball in Denver. He was the team’s second-round pick.

Former Oakland assistant coach Randy Hanson was convicted of felony battery stemming from a assault last summer. Hanson is most remembered for accusing former Oakland coach Tom Cable of choking him during a training camp meeting four years ago. Charges were never field against Cable.

In an Insider piece, Todd McShay looks at his favorite and least favorite drafts picks for AFC West team.

If Tim Tebow is going to land with another NFL team, the natural thinking is to wonder if someone he formerly played for could be interested in adding him.

Thus, it is logical to wonder if Mike McCoy and the San Diego Chargers would be interested in adding Tebow, who was cut Monday after one season with the New York Jets. McCoy was Tebow’s offensive coordinator in Denver where Tebow tasted NFL success.

Could I see McCoy adding Tebow?

Probably not. I never say never when it comes to NFL moves. Anything can happen and you can never truly read what a team is thinking.

But I just don’t see the value of bringing Tebow into San Diego. Let’s face it -- he is not an NFL starting-caliber quarterback at this point. It would be a disservice to the other quarterbacks on the team to bring in Tebow.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported some teams had interest in trading for Tebow and making him a tight end. Schefter reported Tebow balked at that idea.

Maybe if he realizes he has no other options and maybe if McCoy thought he could utilize Tebow in some packages, there could be a potential opening for Tebow in San Diego.

I’m sure Manti Te’o would like to see it. Te’o would suddenly become yesterday’s news if Tebow entered the locker room.

But overall, I just don’t know if adding Tebow would make the Chargers a better team.

After the Kansas City Chiefs saw the three other teams in the AFC West take a quarterback in the draft Saturday, they plucked one of the more interesting quarterbacks available in undrafted free agency.

ESPNBoston reports the Chiefs signed Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray. He was perhaps the most coveted undrafted free agent. Many scouts thought he’d be drafted in the mid rounds.

The Chiefs have starter Alex Smith, but Bray is an intriguing developmental prospect for coach Andy Reid. If all goes well, he could develop into a starter.

Bray has a big arm, and was probably the most physically gifted quarterback in the class. But he has questionable mechanics, was a poor decision-maker, and his leadership was called into question. The Chiefs won’t ask much of Bray for the short term, but if he can improve his deficiencies, there is potential there, and the Chiefs are taking no risk.

The Chiefs, who have not announced their draft class, also reportedly signed another interesting undrafted player in former UW-Milwaukee basketball player Demetrius Harris. He is being converted to a tight end. Harris received a lot of interest around the NFL, including from Oakland and San Diego. He is a long shot, but the transition has been made before, so it’s worth the Chiefs’ time to develop Harris. I would bet he’ll spend the 2013 season on the practice squad if he shows any promise at all.

In other AFC West notes:

ESPN’s John Clayton believes the Chargers are the top winners in the draft in the entire class. There is no doubt, the Chargers scored big with their first three picks, tackle D.J. Fluker, linebacker Manti Te’o and receiver Keenan Allen. However, ESPN’s Jeffri Chadiha isn’t sure Te’o will be a good fit in San Diego.

Former San Diego-turned-Denver pass-rusher Shaun Phillips feels he’s on the “good side” now. I’m sure that will please San Diego fans to hear.

Had the NFL draft been held the day after Manti Te'o and Notre Dame were handled in the national championship game by Alabama, the inside linebacker would have been considered a steal if he was a top-10 pick.

After all, this is a player who was considered the possible No. 1 overall pick last December -- one of the most decorated, praised players in the country during the 2012 season.

Fast-forward to the present, and the idea that Te’o lasted until the No. 38 pick is stunning. The Chargers sent the 45th and 110th choices to Arizona to move up and rock the draft with this selection.

“Great pick,” San Diego safety and leader Eric Weddle said by phone moments after the Chargers' move. “We got better. He is going to help us win games. I like this pick 1,000 percent.”

Te’o became a polarizing figure in January when the bizarre hoax involving a dead fake girlfriend became public. Te’o has said he had nothing to do with the Internet scheme, and the person behind the elaborate ploy has backed up Te’o’s claims.

Fair or not, the hoax has defined Te’o. His once-sterling character has come into question, and there is no doubt it hurt his draft status.

Of course, the title game and a slow 40-yard dash at the NFL combine didn’t help his cause. But let’s face it, if the hoax hadn't happened, Te’o would have gotten the benefit of the doubt on those issues -- particularly since he generated great tape throughout his college career, had great character and improved his speed at Notre Dame's pro day.

With Te’o, it’s all about the hoax.

That will stop, Weddle said. Indeed, Weddle brought up the issue himself.

"I could care less about that other stuff," Weddle said. “I’m sure everyone will think that way here.”

It has been said that Te’o, the butt of national jokes the past few months, will face his harshest critics in his NFL locker room. Weddle said that won’t be a problem in San Diego.

“If he wants to talk about it, we’ll listen,” Weddle said. “But it’s not going to be a problem here.”

I think Te’o is going to a perfect situation for him to achieve some normalcy. The Chargers have good leadership in Weddle, quarterback Philip Rivers, tight end Antonio Gates, center Nick Hardwick and linebacker Jarret Johnson. Indeed, Te'o told San Diego reporters Friday evening, Rivers had already called to welcome him to the team. This is a strong, business-oriented locker room. Te’o will be treated well.

Also, the team’s brass knows how to deal with off-field issues. New San Diego coach Mike McCoy was at the center of Tebow-mania while with Denver. Nothing can match that. New San Diego general manager Tom Telesco was in Indianapolis last season during coach Chuck Pagano’s public fight against cancer.

Distractions will not be a problem.

I also think Te’o will find friendly confines in the city. San Diego has a thriving Polynesian community, and one of the team’s greatest players, late linebacker Junior Seau, was Polynesian. Te’o will be welcomed with open arms. San Diego is not far, in relative terms, from Te’o’s native Hawaii, so that will raise his comfort level, too.

Plus, even though it is not so far from Hollywood, San Diego is laid back, and there isn’t a huge media presence around the team.

Sure, the team and Te’o will probably have to deal with the curiosity of it all early in camp, but that will go away pretty quickly.

Plus, in my opinion, the hoax is over. What else can come of it? Whether he was involved or not, Te’o faced public humiliation, he saw his NFL stock drop and now the recovery begins. He can become a linebacker again.

Te’o is being brought to San Diego to play football, and it’s a good fit.

San Diego is building a strong, young defense, and Te’o should be a nice piece in a linebacking corps that includes Johnson, Donald Butler and 2012 first-round pick Melvin Ingram. Add Te’o to a strong, young line and this is an intriguing group. Yes, Te’o has limitations in coverage, but San Diego will be versatile enough to highlight him on first and second downs, and he will be able to play to his strengths.

It’s been a trying three months for Te’o, but his NFL career is starting on the right track even though it’s from a draft slot several picks lower than expected.

Perhaps the Oakland Raiders will have the entire defensive side of the ball at their disposal when the No. 3 over pick rolls around in Thursday night's NFL draft.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the word around the league is left tackles Luke Joeckel and Eric Fisher are expected to go in the first two picks. Jacksonville had been heavily connected to Oregon pass-rusher Dion Jordan with the No. 2 pick.

If the Jaguars go for a left tackle, it would benefit the Raiders. Oakland has needs all over the field, but I think it needs to look at defense first. Having a chance to pick any defensive player on the board would be beneficial for Oakland.

Both Jordan and Florida defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd would be interesting picks for Oakland. In that case, the Raiders may want to root for the Jaguars to take a left tackle so this scenario unfolds.

In other AFC West notes:

In an Insider piece, former NFL general manager and current ESPN analyst Bill Polian thinks the Raiders have the first “pivot point" of the draft trade market with the No. 3 pick. Raiders want to deal it.

In a procedural move, Denver punter Britton Colquitt signed his restricted free-agent tender.

Consolation Prize Gronk Nation apparently will live on in the AFC West.

New England Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski has tweeted that his brother, fullback Chris Gronkowski, has signed with the San Diego Chargers.

Big Ups to my Bro #3 @chrisgronkowski for signing with the San Diego Chargers!

— Rob Gronkowski (@RobGronkowski) April 23, 2013

Chris Gronkowski, who was a free agent, played for new San Diego head coach Mike McCoy while serving in a backup role in Denver.

A versatile athlete who can play on special teams, Gronkowski is not a lock to make the roster in San Diego. He will have to earn a roster spot.

Mel Kiper is all in on the Kansas City Chiefs.

In this Hot Button topic, Kiper and Todd McShay debated which teams that pick in the top five in this week’s draft -- Kansas City, Jacksonville, Oakland, Philadelphia and Detroit --- are ready to make a quick turnaround in 2013.

Kiper picked the Chiefs. McShay went with the Eagles.

The Chiefs, who have the No. 1 pick in the draft, went 2-14 last year. However they have upgraded at several areas and are poised to get better in the draft. I can see why Kiper went with Kansas City.

Please take the SportsNation poll that is part of the above link to express your thoughts on the topic.

In other AFC West notes:

Denver running back Willis McGahee said in a radio interview he is healthy and ready for the 2013 season.

John Elway a Raider? Yep, it almost happened.

 

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. explains that both the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers face dilemmas in the first round. Kiper wonders whether the two rivals could work together on a trade involving the No. 3 and No. 11 picks.

Such a trade could benefit both teams, but would either team want to help the other? It’s all part of the drama that is the NFL draft.

Meanwhile, the NFL Network is reporting the Minnesota Vikings want to move up in the first round. The Vikings have the No. 23 and 25 picks in the draft. The reports state Minnesota wants to move up to get a receiver. That could be good news for the Chargers. The receiver run will likely start in the Nos. 11-15 range. So, perhaps the Vikings will be interested in San Diego’s pick. Still, it is unlikely the Vikings would send both of their first-round choices in a deal. But the Chargers could be interested in trading down if, as expected, the top three left tackles are off the board at No. 11.

In other AFC West notes:

A good omen for the Chargers? We’ll see.

The Chiefs’ draft plans and the Raiders’ offseason are discussed in this video.

Here is a look at an upcoming ESPN documentary on John Elway and his role in the 1983 draft.