K.C. Chiefs swing-and-miss with wide receiver Josh Reynolds

Free agent wide receiver Josh Reynolds, formerly of the L.A. Rams, was an ideal target for the K.C. Chiefs as they have a pretty big hole at the position and concerns about whether or not Mecole Hardman or Byron Pringle could step up into the WR2 role. However, Reynolds came off the board early Monday morning, reportedly choosing to sign with the Tennessee Titans over the Chiefs.

While we don’t yet know what exactly the Chiefs offered Reynolds, we do know one thing: Reynolds is the second significant wide receiver free agent to apparently pass over the Chiefs for an inferior team. Last week it was reported that Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster decided to not join the Chiefs and instead go back to the Pittsburgh Steelers despite the Chiefs offering more money than Pittsburgh.

Those are just the players we know who the Chiefs have seriously pursued, so it’s possible there are more targets who have decided to play elsewhere. It has become evident that the Chiefs want a veteran wide receiver to add to this lineup, which makes all the sense in the world. Reynolds would have been ideal. Last year for the Rams, Reynolds recorded 52 catches for 618 yards and 2 TDs. Those are ideal WR2 numbers, especially when you consider Reynolds also played with Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods in Los Angeles. However, this latest free agent miss has us asking questions about how free agents really view the Chiefs.

Is it possible that the magical “Mahomes Effect” is non-existent? Maybe, but then you would have to explain why the Chiefs were able to land Joe Thuney, Kyle Long, Sammy Watkins, Tyrann Mathieu, etc. over the last few years. There is an argument to be made that the “Mahomes Effect” is overstated among the fan base, though. Havin Mahomes certainly helps when swaying free agents, but obviously it’s also true that some players are taking similar or less money to go to other teams. It doesn’t even just go for receivers either. We just saw the same situation play out with Trent Williams, who Mahomes apparently recruited to join Kansas City.

Maybe the thought of becoming a third or fourth option in Kansas City behind Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce is scaring free agents off as opposed to being first or second option elsewhere. However, this doesn’t quite make sense either. This narrative is a cop-out answer any time you see a free agent receiver pick someone else. The first impression is said receiver wanted to be as productive as possible and wouldn’t get that opportunity with the Chiefs. I would really hope this isn’t the case, though, because it would indicate that free agents aren’t doing their own research or are being sold a fallacy by other teams.

First of all, being a third or fourth option doesn’t always equal reduced production. Sometimes it can have the opposite effect and actually take the attention off a player, thus giving them more opportunities. For example, Smith-Schuster went back to Pittsburgh partly because he would have a better opportunity to shine. However, Smith-Schuster has been infinitely more productive as a WR2 and that is evident in the fact that he has only had two 100-yard receiving games since Antonio Brown left, as opposed to having 8 when Brown was with the Steelers.

Secondly, there are more than enough targets to go around in Kansas City. Let me break it down. Sammy Watkins was Kansas City’s WR2 last year, correct? Well, in 2020 Watkins had 55 targets on the season. In addition, Demarcus Robinson who is also a free agent, had 59 targets in 2020. That’s over 100 targets right there that I just named from last season and both of those players are now free agents. So, the notion that Reynolds wouldn’t have gotten a large amount of targets here isn’t true. And even if it was, Reynolds is the second option at best in Tennessee and that’s not even considering that they run Derrick Henry 30 times a game.

Either free agents simply don’t understand the situation or there’s something out there that we aren’t considering as to why free agents are passing on Kansas City. Now, the Chiefs will continue to hunt for a reliable veteran wide receiver to help fill the void. As of right now, though, options are starting to really dry up, meaning that they may just focus on the draft. Overall, this development is frustrating for fans. Players should be lining up to play for Kansas City, but that just hasn’t been the case this free agency.