The pros and cons of DeAndre Hopkins trade for KC Chiefs

The pros of a DeAndre Hopkins trade

The upside of any trade for DeAndre Hopkins has to come down to an optimistic view about what the veteran has left in the tank.

One look at what Hopkins did in limited duty for the Cardinals this season shows that he’s still an electric performer with 64 catches for 717 yards and 3 touchdowns in only 9 games. Extrapolate that out for a 17-game season and you’ll find Hopkins back to his Pro Bowl numbers from a few years ago.

It’s important to remember that when Hopkins is/was at his best, he is the best in the league. Hopkins is a marvel at making the contested catch and is unstoppable in the end zone. Any conversation about the best wide receiver in the NFL in the last decade has to include Hopkins within the first name or three discussed. He’s been that dominant to be a five-time All-Pro and twice made the top four in voting for Offensive Player of the Year.

Hopkins missed several games last year, but a lot of those were due to a season-opening suspension, so it’s not as if his health was to blame for most of those. If he can suit up for 14-15 games per year at even 80 percent of what he was in his prime, Hopkins is still a nightmare matchup for most defenses.

At this point, it’s also important to note that the Chiefs offense has looked okay throughout the regular season. We’ve yet to see how this patchwork group will work for Mahomes in the postseason. If teams blanket Travis Kelce in ways that truly limit his impact, do the Chiefs really have another player who can make playoff defenses pay for it? Teams were able to take away Hill and Kelce in the past and halt the Chiefs’ postseason hopes. Can this bunch get it done as a deeper group?

If the Chiefs display some offensive ineptitude without a dynamic go-to target in the WR room, Hopkins might look a lot better for the Chiefs.

So what do we think about this whole thing? Let’s make some conclusions.