The Kansas City Chiefs shocked the NFL world last season by missing the playoffs. Now, as the Chiefs reboot for a comeback in 2026, they’ve already improved their running back room with the addition of reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker.
However, could Kansas City make another blockbuster move to put itself among the favorites to win the AFC?
Chiefs Urged To Target A.J. Brown Amid Uncertainty Around Rashee Rice
After 12 consecutive winning seasons, nine consecutive AFC West division titles, and three straight Super Bowl appearances, the Chiefs not only missed the playoffs last season, but they finished under .500 with a 6-11 record.
The NFL world had grown accustomed to seeing quarterback Patrick Mahomes and company play through January, competing throughout the playoffs, and many took Kansas City’s disastrous 2025 season as a relief.
Mahomes led the team in rushing for a portion of the season and finished with 422 yards on the ground in only 14 games, 189 yards behind Kareem Hunt, who led the team.
Tight end Travis Kelce led the team with 851 receiving yards, and the next closest was Hollywood Brown with 587. Rashee Rice, who only played in eight games, was next with 571 yards, and Xavier Worthy followed with 532.
Rice burst onto the scene the last couple of years and became the No. 1 receiver Kansas City was looking for beside Kelce. However, legal trouble and injuries have recently halted his career.
The Chiefs receiver was involved in a highway crash in March 2024. His initial deal involved a flexible five years of probation, but he violated those terms after testing positive for THC earlier this year. Rice is currently serving a 30-day jail sentence and will be released on June 16. As a result, he will miss the OTAs, and his rehab will also be affected because he underwent knee surgery.
With that in mind, Chris Broussard thinks the Chiefs should do what they can to get in the running for Philadelphia Eagles receiver A.J. Brown. He talked about it on Fox Sports’ “First Things First.”
“They should get into that A.J. Brown mix if they can. If they can — I don’t know if it’s locked in with the (New England) Patiots or not,” Broussard said. “Try to get in there with that.”
“Their receiving core — Kenneth Walker III, as good as he is, he’s not Derrick Henry, right? He’s a really good running back, but he’s not Saquon Barkley, that level of player, and Mahomes, we think won’t have that mobility [that] he’s always had, at least for a while, right? And last year, he was their leading rusher for, you know, all that stuff, so that’s gonna be gone.”
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Walker was a dynamic player in the Seattle Seahawks offense, but he doesn’t bring the same impact to the passing game as a Barkley, Bijan Robinson, or Christian McCaffrey.
If Rice can’t stay on the field for the Chiefs, Broussard’s not confident in Worthy’s ability to step up at Kansas City’s top guy.
“So yeah, and Xavier Worthy, I’m probably looking too much into his injury last year. Part of me feels like, is he big enough to be a No. 1? And I know Devonta Smith is a No. 1, once A.J. is gone presumably,” Broussard said. “They definitely need to upgrade their receiving core without question.”
All reports regarding Brown seem to lead to the Patriots, but maybe the Chiefs could sneak in and steal the three-time Pro Bowl receiver away. According to PFSN’s WR Impact Metric, despite an underwhelming campaign, Brown posted an impact score of 80.9 last season, ranking 21st in the league.
