The Kansas City Chiefs figure to be among the more active teams shopping the wide receiver market ahead of the November 5 NFL trade deadline.
After all, while the Chiefs appear to be one of the most dominant teams in the AFC, this is a franchise going for a historic third consecutive Super Bowl victory with Patrick Mahomes the focal point and driving force of the offense. Kansas City has also already lost Marquise “Hollywood” Brown for the remainder of the regular season, and could be without Rashee Rice for the rest of the year,
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell suggests the Chiefs are an ideal destination for Hopkins, if he’s dealt.
In the deal Barnwell outlines, the Chiefs get Hopkins for a song, too, in exchange for a measly fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“Hopkins isn’t the player he was in his prime,” Barnwell writes for ESPN. “But he is still a productive receiver. He has 175 yards across the first month of the year, but he has run only 73 routes. He averaged a healthy 2.2 yards per route run a year ago and is at 2.4 yards per route run this season.
“With the Titans having signed Calvin Ridley to be their primary wideout this offseason, Hopkins is likely to move on after the season. They have played Tyler Boyd and 2022 first-round pick Treylon Burks ahead of Hopkins this season, and moving the veteran would give Burks a full season to prove whether he’s part of Tennessee’s future. This might not feel like a massive return for a veteran wideout with Hopkins’ history, but he didn’t have a huge free agent market two offseasons ago, is older now, is battling a knee issue and is owed meaningful money over the remainder of the year. He wouldn’t have a huge market, but the Chiefs feel like the correct fit and would benefit from his strengths.”
Hopkins signing in Tennessee, as the Titans were seemingly straddling the line between rebuilding and competing never quite made sense, and while he’s caught 14 passes for 175 yards and one touchdown this season, a change of scenery and having the chance to become one of Mahomes’ top targets may reinvigorate the veteran’s career while giving the Chiefs another game-altering weapon amid their title chase.
Hopkins signing in Tennessee, as the Titans were seemingly straddling the line between rebuilding and competing never quite made sense, and while he’s caught 14 passes for 175 yards and one touchdown this season, a change of scenery and having the chance to become one of Mahomes’ top targets may reinvigorate the veteran’s career while giving the Chiefs another game-altering weapon amid their title chase.
