The Kansas City Chiefs were on the wrong side of one of the NFL’s Top 25 offseason moves while on the right side of another, per Bleacher Report.
Few NFL teams have made themselves over as much as the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason, and it’s likely that no other division winner has come even close. Only teams that have hit the reset button from the front office to the coaching staff can match the level of roster turnover experienced by the Chiefs.
Perhaps it’s aggression or zeal from a rookie general manager, or maybe it’s just because the Chiefs needed such an overhaul despite two straight AFC West titles. Either way, the Chiefs of 2018 aren’t your… 2017’s Chiefs? The defense in particular has been completely remade and, of course, there’s a brand new quarterback guiding the entire ship in Patrick Mahomes.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon recently made his list of the top 25 offseason moves in the NFL and two of the Chiefs many moves came into view—once for being on the wrong side of such a deal and once for pulling off a great trade. First the good news.
The Chiefs traded Alex Smith, their starting quarterback for the last five years, in January, just before the Super Bowl, to the Washington Redskins. Gagnon loved the return and says the deal was already a good one for allowing a more talented and cheaper player to take over in Mahomes. He also writes:
"“…it was a coup when the Chiefs traded Smith to the Washington Redskins for promising young cornerback Kendall Fuller … as well as a third-round pick, which they used to trade up to add defensive end Breeland Speaks in Round 2.”"
As for Peters, the Chiefs got fleeced and it’s hard to believe otherwise. Peters is a Pro Bowl cornerback whose ability to alter a game by creating turnovers is second-to-none. That the Rams got Peters for two picks is insane, and the insult to injury is that the Chiefs had to include a sixth round choice to get the deal finished. Gagnon writes:
"“…This remains a low-risk move with a huge potential reward, especially with his fifth-year option for 2019 guaranteed only for injury.”"
Gagnon is not wrong here. Despite the lack of bidders elsewhere, the truth is that the Chiefs didn’t have to trade Peters when they did. He’s cheap, young and dynamic and the Chiefs could have held on for a better return or just enjoyed the value he brings to the field. That said there’s likely a couple key pieces of information that we’re just not privy to that made this deal happen the way it did.