With a slew of teams applying the franchise tag to various players Monday, the Chiefs joined the fray by applying the franchise tag on standout wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, team general manager Scott Pioli said in a statement.

It is the non-exclusive franchise tag, meaning that Bowe can receive offers from other teams when free agency opens on March 13. However, that would cost a bidding team two first-round picks, making it unlikely that any team will make the effort to reach out to Bowe.

The 27-year-old Bowe completed his fifth NFL season in 2011, a season in which he hauled in 81 catches for 1,159 yards and five touchdowns. The season before, Bowe had career highs in receiving yards (1,162) and touchdowns (15), the latter of which led the NFL.

Welcome to Monday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

MONDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
NHL: Bruins at Panthers, 7:30 p.m. (NESN)
NHL: Stars at Blues, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
NBA: Thunder at Celtics, 8 p.m. (TNT; WEEI)
NBA: Bulls at Grizzles, 1 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA: Mavericks at Lakers, 10:30 p.m. (TNT)
College basketball: Louisville at Marquette, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Texas A&M at Missouri, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Pittsburgh at Syracuse, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
College basketball: Baylor at Kansas, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)

AROUND THE WEB:

Former Chiefs coach Todd Haley feared that his cell phone was bugged by team management. (AP)

♦ According to an article by Kent Babb of The Kansas City Star, former Chiefs coach Todd Haley was convinced that team management had bugged rooms and phones in an attempt to monitor employees’ conversations, and he wasn’t the only one with paranoid thoughts. Since Scott Pioli was hired as general manager in January 2009 (away from the Patriots), the article states, “life for many inside the Chiefs’ front office has been marked by massive staff turnover, fear and insecurity about how closely they are watched.” There are also charges of age discrimination. Three former department head sued the Chiefs in 2011.

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

Team chairman and CEO Clark Hunt played down the accusations, saying that an emphasis has been placed on individual responsibility. “We needed a culture that pursued excellence,” he said. “One that valued honesty and integrity, one where the employees would be held accountable.”

♦ Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson was the latest to come to the defense of quarterback Mark Sanchez, who was referred to as “lazy” by an unnamed Jet last week. Tomlinson implied that some of the team’s wide receivers had an ax to grind with Sanchez after a “disconnect” throughout the year.

“There are a lot of things you can say about Mark Sanchez, but to call him lazy is a bit much,” Tomlinson said. ”This is a guy that has worked very hard off the field, in the film room. I’ve seen it, in the weight room, putting in extra time with the coaches early in the morning after practice when everybody is gone. He is putting in time. So, he’s not lazy.”

♦ Former Giants running back Tiki Barber said he tried to set up a meeting with coach Tom Coughlin to mend fences after criticizing the coach’s style, but Coughlin said no. Barber, who tried to make a comeback this season but did not get an offer from an NFL team, remains optimistic about getting back in the Giants’ good graces. “One of these days I’m sure it’ll happen, because as we know, time heals all wounds,” Barber said on ESPN Radio. “And I think at the end of the day, Giants fans, despite their dislike of me at times, know that I was one of the guys that put [it] on the line every time I put on my uniform.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Jan. 16, 1974, which Bruin became the eighth player in NHL history to record 450 goals when he scored in a 5-5 tie with the Blackhawks in Chicago?

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Now that he has the job of re-building the Kansas City Chiefs, reaction is coming in on what kind of job Scott Pioli will do and what it will mean to Chiefs fans who are hoping the executive who helped build the Patriots dynasty can do the same for them. Adam Teicher, of the Kansas City Star, has the main story, including the fact that Pioli will report directly to Clark Hunt, the team’s chairman. Kent Babb details how Pioli has been preparing for this moment all along in New England. Teicher writes that if, as expected, Pioli fires Herm Edwards, there will be a competition to find a new suitable coach. However, it’s believed that Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz is the guy that Pioli has targeted all along. One guy it probably WON’T be is Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, as Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio tells us. Pioli is expected to be introduced to the Kansas City media sometime late Wednesday afternoon.

With Josh Mcdaniels about to be introduced as the new head coach in Denver later today, and Scott Pioli still on the radar of the Kansas City Chiefs, the Patriots will get busy on considering candidates to replace them. While there still exists the possibility that Pioli will return to Foxboro, one thing is for sure, the Patriots will have to find themselves a new offensive coordinator. Our own Michael Felger breaks down what it all means. Will they, as Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe suggests, promote from within to help with the transition or have head coach Bill Belichick get more involved in play-calling? Or will they consider names like Mike Martz, whom Belichick has always admired as an offensive mind, and Kevin Gilbride, should he get axed from the gig with the Giants.

The Cleveland Browns don’t want to wait around on Scott Pioli, according to the Boston Herald. The paper is reporting that the Browns want a decision by today from Pioli on whether he wants the job. Pioli is interested in hiring Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz as head coach, as Ferentz has a history with Pioli and Bill Belichick when the two were in Cleveland in the 90s. The Herald reports Pioli is making demands of Cleveland that would be extremely difficult for any football franchise to meet. The Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that the Browns are also interviewing Atlanta Falcons team President Rich McKay. The Boston Globe is reporting that Kansas City has also received permission to speak to Pioli. In an intriguing twist, the Browns have asked for and received permission to interview Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. It’s not clear whether Browns owner Randy Lerner might hire a head coach separately of a new general manager.

There seems to be a great deal of mutual interest between Scott Pioli and the Cleveland Browns, concerning their vacant general manager’s position. The Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports that Pioli is very interested in the gig while there could be an intriguing third party entering the picture. Should Pioli stay in New England or head to Kansas City or Detroit, Bill Parcells could quickly enter the picture since he has a lucrative buyout clause in Miami if owner Wayne Huizenga sells his interest in the team and he is said to be considering selling the Fins within the next two months. Meanwhile, the Browns are interested in northeast Ohio native and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to replace Romeo Crennel, who could stay on as defensive coordinator. Browns owner Randy Lerner fired G.M. Phil Savage over the weekend while Crennel was fired as head coach on Monday. The Browns are also interested in axed Jets head coach Eric Mangini. Besides being the single individual who could overhaul the Cleveland Browns with an injection of New England Patriots personnel, who is Randy Lerner?

It’s the Monday after the final NFL regular season game and the blood-letting has begun. We begin first in New York where the axe has come down on Eric Mangini. The New York Post screams ‘Dump ‘em’ and that’s what owner Woody Johnson and G.M. Michael Tannenbaum have done in firing Mangenius. … The Cleveland Browns have shown Romeo Crennel the door in the mistake by the lake. The Cleveland Plain-Dealer is reporting that the Browns have asked the Patriots their permission to speak to Scott Pioli for their vacant G.M. job to replace Phil Savage. Mangini could be a candidate to replace Crennel. Not surprisingly, after leading his team, the Detroit Lions, to the first 0-16 finish in NFL history, Rod Marinelli is looking for work today. Wade Phillips didn’t get fired by Jerry Jones in Dallas but judging by the Dallas papers and his press conference today, maybe he wishes he had.