Subscribe
Follow Us
Fresh off their Super Bowl 57 title, the Kansas City Chiefs have had quite the start to the 2023 offseason. On one hand, they lost starting left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. to free agency and released defensive end Frank Clark. On the other hand, they signed Jawaan Taylor to replace Brown and Charles Omenihu to help make up for Clark's departure. The Chiefs have largely made up for their losses at these positions, but the same is not true for wide receiver.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kansas City's leading wideout in 2022 with 78 receptions for 933 yards and three touchdowns, left to sign with the New England Patriots. Mecole Hardman (25 REC, 297 YD, 4 TD) and Justin Watson (15 REC, 315 YD, 2 TD) are still free agents, but it doesn't seem likely either will return. The Chiefs' wideout group already wasn't great, and losing three of the four leading receivers only weakened it further.
However, there is still time to address this concern. Kansas City is reportedly in on many wide receivers through free agency and trade, and chief (haha) among them is Arizona Cardinals star, DeAndre Hopkins. With trade talks surrounding Hopkins reportedly “ramping up,” now is the time to strike for the Chiefs to land him.
As the status of #AZCardinals star WR DeAndre Hopkins comes into focus, talks are ramping up among the interested teams, sources say. Similar to Brandin Cooks, a trade would likely mean an altered contract.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 21, 2023
Credit where it's due, the Chiefs won a title without a star wideout after trading Tyreek Hill last offseason. However, it's hard to argue that Patrick Mahomes wouldn't welcome another star pass-catcher, and Hopkins fits the bill. So, let's take a look at the perfect trade to send Hopkins to Kansas City.
Chiefs get: DeAndre Hopkins
Cardinals get: 2023 second-round pick, 2023 fourth-round pick
According to SI's Albert Breer, Arizona's asking price for Hopkins is a second-round pick plus “something else of value.” While that second part is very ambiguous, a lower draft pick or a player would get the job done. It doesn't make a ton of sense for a contending team like Kansas City to send away a player, so let's roll with the two-draft pick package instead. The Chiefs have two fourth-rounders, 121st and 133rd overall, so either will do.
As mentioned previously, Hopkins would bring some huge star power to Kansas City's receiver corps. Despite only playing nine games in 2022, Hopkins still had 64 receptions for 717 yards and three touchdowns. He also has five Pro Bowls and three first-team All-Pro selections under his belt, so yeah, he's pretty good.
The Chiefs already have the league's best quarterback in Mahomes and the best tight end in Travis Kelce. Now imagine that offense with a star do-it-all receiver like Hopkins. That's not even mentioning the other good receivers like Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdez-Scantling, and Skyy Moore. There's no winning for opposing defenses against this offense, to an even greater degree than before.
For Arizona, parting ways with Hopkins seems inevitable and is in both sides' best interests. The Cardinals are entering a rebuild, and Hopkins likely wants to compete while he's still playing at a high level. A second and a fourth doesn't seem like much for a player of Hopkins' caliber, but considering he's turning 31 and is on a massive contract, this is a pretty good return.
Giving up a second and a fourth may seem like a lot for Kansas City, especially after Brandin Cooks just went for a fifth and a sixth. Think about it this way, though, what are the odds the Chiefs draft a player on the same level as Hopkins? Very low, and even if they do, it will take time to get to that level. Trading for Hopkins maximizes the Chiefs' contending window now.
Overall, this trade is a win-win for both sides. Arizona gets good draft capital to rebuild with, and Kansas City gets a headliner for the receiver corps.
