Ten-time Pro Bowl guard Will Shields continues to play coy with the media regarding his future, but he has told coach Dick Vermeil that he will play in 2005, Vermeil has confirmed.

Shields, who will be 34 this season, playfully refuses to answer media inquiries about his plans, saying that anything discussed between himself and Vermeil will remain that way. But the prospect of extending his streak of consecutive games, currently at 191, means more to him than Shields lets on, and few people really doubted that he'd play another season while still doing so at a high level for one of the league's best offenses.

-- The Chiefs have re-signed RFA receiver Marc Boerigter to a one-year tender.

Boerigter made a big splash as an NFL rookie when he came to the league from two years in Canada and scored eight touchdowns on just 20 catches. But his production was cut almost in half in his second year (11 catches). Then last year, when many thought he had a chance to be a replacement for Johnnie Morton, Boerigter tore up a knee in the preseason. He missed the entire season. How he comes back from that will determine whether he gets another contract offer next year when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

MEDICAL WATCH

-- LB Scott Fujita underwent an arthroscopic ankle surgery that removed some bone debris that caused him pain throughout the 2004 season. Fujita feared that the procedure might reveal the need for more extensive surgery, but that apparently won't be the case. He will likely miss the on-field coaching sessions of the spring, but is expected to be ready early in training camp.

--LB Shawn Barber continues to make a full recovery from a second surgery in late December on the ACL injury he incurred at the midpoint of the '04 season. The Chiefs plan on having him for the '05 campaign, but his availability for training camp is uncertain.

FRANCHISE PLAYER
None.

TRANSITION PLAYER
None.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
FB Omar Easy (not tendered as RFA); LB Fred Jones.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
None.

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS
None.

PLAYERS RE-SIGNED: WR Marc Boerigter; LB Quinton Caver; LB Scott Fujita; TE/LS Kendall Gammon; S Shaunard Harts.

PLAYERS ACQUIRED
LB Kendrell Bell; DE Carlos Hall; WR Darrell Hill; RB Robert Holcombe; S Sammy Knight; CB Patrick Surtain.

PLAYERS LOST
LB Monty Beisel; RB Derrick Blaylock; DE Vonnie Holliday.

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