The Kansas City Chiefs are back to the drawing board.
They went into Week 4 with an underperforming offense — except for receiver Rashee Rice, who was perhaps the NFL’s biggest breakout star this year. And the Chiefs came out of Week 4 with Rice having suffered what is expected to be an ACL injury.
The Chiefs might be 4-0, but they have a surprising amount of offensive uncertainty for the rest of the season. Free-agent acquisition Hollywood Brown might not return this year from a shoulder injury. Running back Isiah Pacheco is on injured reserve with a cracked fibula and is likely to miss about eight weeks. Travis Kelce showed up on Sunday, but he has been mostly unproductive this season.
All that has added up to Patrick Mahomes‘ worst start to any season of his eight-year career.
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So let’s get Mahomes some support. His receiving corps isn’t what it needs to be, especially if the Chiefs want to three-peat. There should be some trade targets on the open market. And while everyone’s mind goes to “DAVANTE ADAMS! DAVANTE ADAMS! DAVANTE ADAMS!” I’m not sure he’s a realistic option.
The Chiefs have $4.9 million in cap space this year (eighth-lowest in the league) and $27 million next year (ninth-lowest). Mahomes’ contract is nearly maxed out in terms of restructuring, so it’s not like GM Brett Veach can snap a finger on the QB’s deal and free up a large sum of money.
The Chiefs can definitely acquire a receiver before the Nov. 4 trade deadline. But if they want an expensive one, they’ll have to give up extra assets to get the Raiders to pay Adams’ salary. Otherwise, the Chiefs will have to get a player whose salary fits their short-term and long-term goals. Keep in mind, too, that veteran receivers Michael Thomas and Hunter Renfrow are currently free agents.
Here are the trade targets Kansas City might consider, ranked from most likely to least likely.
The 30-year-old had a successful stint with the Chiefs as a depth option from 2017 to 2021. While he has never had more than 500 yards in a season, Robinson has proven he understands the Kansas City offense (which is not a given for wideouts). Coach Andy Reid hasn’t had much success acclimating new pass-catchers to his offense midseason, so Robinson — a familiar face — would bring a track record of proven production.
Of course, the Chiefs wouldn’t get the same output level from Robinson as from Rice. But Robinson can play a possession role in the offense. He’s making just $2.5 million in salary this season. It’s the kind of move Reid would make if he wasn’t panicked about the state of the receiver room.
On the flip side, I wonder if the Chiefs might call about Robinson and the Rams would instead offer Tutu Atwell. Atwell is producing but is technically further down the depth chart. He’s smaller, younger and speedier than Robinson, though that might make him somewhat redundant with Chiefs rookie Xavier Worthy.
2. Amari Cooper, Browns
Cooper would be a league-changing acquisition and one that — at basically every level — makes sense for the Chiefs. Cooper is set to make just $1.2 million in salary. He’s still one of the best route-runners in the NFL, and might still be one of the most productive wideouts — if he only had a quarterback.
He should be able to jump into Kansas City’s offense and hit the ground running. If the Chiefs want to keep him around, they could extend him midseason. If they simply wanted a one-year rental, they can let him go in free agency. And they might just get a compensatory pick for him.
The only question is how quickly Cooper could learn Reid’s system. But he has the type of talent that would make it worth getting him on the roster and working with him.
And just like with the Rams, I wonder if the Browns would try to offer Elijah Moore instead of Cooper. Cleveland acquired Moore last year and has yet to find him useful in the offense. He’s a slot player who could carve out a role in K.C.
The Cooper trade would be a bigger swing for the Chiefs than any of the others on this list. But even with all the risk attached, he checks all the boxes for Kansas City.
3. Darius Slayton, Giants
He has never emerged as a truly elite option in New York’s passing offense, but he has put up 700 or more yards in four of his six seasons. Playing 81% of the team’s snaps, Slayton is a big part of the Giants offense.
It would be a big ask for the Chiefs, but given the cast of young receivers in New York (from Malik Nabers to Wandale Robinson to Jalin Hyatt), the Giants might want to see what they have for the future — especially if Joe Schoen thinks his job is safe. (And New York GMs tend to stay safe for much longer than you’d expect.)
Slayton feels a bit like a middle ground between the Robinson and Cooper trades. Slayton doesn’t have Cooper’s talent or Robinson’s experience in the system. But he’s a better player than Robinson and less costly on the trade market than Cooper.
The Chiefs went after Kadarius Toney on the trade market. They could pursue Mingo for many of the same reasons.
Mingo showed some promise in patches during his rookie season in 2023, but the Panthers buried him on the depth chart and it looks unlikely he’ll emerge in Carolina. If the Panthers wanted to eke out some value now (rather than leaving him as WR4 for the foreseeable future), the Chiefs might have interest. Mingo is a bruiser out of the slot and could serve as the interior presence that Mahomes now badly needs.
Here’s where this list gets a little crazy.
Again, I don’t think Adams is within the realm of possibility, given what he’d cost in trade compensation and financial compensation. Hopkins seems more feasible. The Titans have a healthy cap situation this year and next — they can afford to eat Hopkins’ salary this year. And it certainly doesn’t look like they are going to be in the playoff hunt. I think, instead, they’ll be looking to lock up the No. 1 overall pick.
So the question is about draft compensation: What’s the right draft pick to get Hopkins to Kansas City on a veteran minimum salary?
The Chiefs might have to offer a third-rounder to get that done. That’s what pushes this idea down the list. But for a team chasing a three-peat, maybe that’s worth it.
6. Kyle Pitts, Falcons
Yes, he’s a tight end. But man, how great would Pitts be in Reid’s offense?
Pitts’ rookie contract is set to expire in 2025, and it’s easy to imagine he and the Falcons plan to go their separate ways, given how much his usage has plummeted since his rookie season. His salary is just $1.05 million. If it worked out in Kansas City, he would be a great candidate for an extension.
And he wouldn’t spell the end of Travis Kelce’s career, because they’re still fairly different players. But it wouldn’t hurt to have Kelce insurance in Pitts for when the veteran tight end does retire. In the interim, Pitts could be just what the Chiefs need as a 1-2 punch with Kelce to take over the middle of the field in the passing game.
Pitts is deep down this list because 1) he isn’t a receiver, 2) he’s a former first-rounder who should still command significant value and 3) the Falcons might not want to deal him given their relevance in the playoff hunt.
Prior to joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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