Six affordable free agent wide receivers for the Kansas City Chiefs to consider
Jermaine Kearse
Jermaine Kearse is primarily known for his time catching passes from Russell Wilson as a member of the Seattle Seahawks. He was an undrafted free agent signing out of the University of Washington who developed into a very productive receiver for the team during their Super Bowl years.
Kearse has had a fairly productive career in the NFL so far. Throughout his seven-year career with both the aforementioned Seahawks and most recently the New York Jets, Kearse played in 99 games, caught 255 passes, amassed 3,290 yards receiving, and caught 17 touchdown passes. These aren’t crazy numbers by any means, but they show Kearse could be a reliable second or third option at receiver.
As recently as 2017, he had 65 catches for 810 yards and five touchdowns. This would be all the production the Chiefs would need from a free agent. Like everyone else, catching passes from the reigning MVP Mahomes should boost his production even more.
Last year was a down year for Kearse. According to Pro Football Focus, he ranked “Average” to “Above Average.” But in 2017, he ranked “Above Average” to “Good” in all categories. You put a receiver who’s been productive on championship teams with a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes, and I expect he could duplicate or even exceed some of his best years.
What’s more, Kearse would be a bargain for the Chiefs. He’s never made more than $5 million in one season, and coming off a down year he should be even cheaper.