The Kansas City Chiefs will be without Rashee Rice for the rest of the season. The star wide receiver underwent a successful LCL surgery a couple of days ago. There is no damage to the ACL or meniscus, and Rice is expected to be ready for the start of next season.
The Chiefs are now not only without Rice but also Hollywood Brown. The former Arizona Cardinals wideout signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Super Bowl champions in the offseason, but he got hurt in the preseason.
Brown underwent surgery for a sternoclavicular injury and is unlikely to play again this season. With the Chiefs missing their top two receivers, Kansas City is expected to trade for a receiver before the NFL’s trade deadline on Nov. 5.
Chiefs Tipped To Make a Move for Titans’ Star WR
CBS’ Cody Benjamin recently wrote a story, and he suggested that the Chiefs should make a move for DeAndre Hopkins. The 32-year-old wideout is in the last year of his two-year $26 million deal with the Tennessee Titans and is a prime candidate to get moved on the trade deadline.
Hopkins came close to signing with the Chiefs during last year’s free agency, but he ultimately went to Tennessee. Now that Kansas City is in the market for a receiver, Hopkins’ name will be continuously linked to the Chiefs.
Through four games this season, Hopkins has 10 receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown. As evidenced by JuJu Smith-Schuster’s performance in Week 6, Kansas City’s offensive players will put up better numbers as compared to when on other teams.
Making a move for Hopkins seems like a great idea for the Chiefs, as his presence on the field will make everyone around him better. Notably, Patrick Mahomes, who has had a poor start to the season by his standards, will benefit greatly from having another playmaker on the team.
Can Chiefs Afford DeAndre Hopkins’ Contact?
Per Spotrac, the Chiefs currently have $3.6 million in cap space. Hopkins, if traded, is estimated to cost around $6.48 million against a team’s cap this year.
Thus, if the reigning Super Bowl champions trade for Hopkins, they will need to restructure some contracts or make more moves to free up space to afford him.
Kansas City is also linked with Amari Cooper, whose contract will be easier to afford than Hopkins.
Both Cooper and Hopkins will be free agents after this year, so the Chiefs don’t have to commit to either player for the long term and can utilize them on a rental basis in their quest for a third straight Super Bowl.
Kansas City’s offense is currently averaging 23.6 points and 236.8 passing yards per game. As mentioned earlier, Mahomes is off to a poor start this season, and having another wide receiver alongside Travis Kelce, Smith-Schuster, and Xavier Worthy will make his job easier.
Despite the injuries and struggles on offense, Kansas City is 5-0. It’s unlikely that they will pursue a receiver who has a big contract (i.e., Davante Adams).
Therefore, players like Cooper, Hopkins, Jalin Hyatt, or Diontae Johnson are most likely to be targeted by the Chiefs.
Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson on speculation he could be traded at some point to a team like the Chiefs that need a receiver: listen. pic.twitter.com/ln8H4mu8HE
— David Newton (@DNewtonespn)
