Did the Chiefs miss out on a good opportunity for Diontae Johnson?

Some fans are already past things, I'm sure. What's done is done, so why bother asking the questions, right?

But something about the Kansas City Chiefs' approach at wide receiver before the NFL's trade deadline feels a bit "off'" at this stage, now that the public has been made aware of the opportunity cost for some players. In general, it feels like the Chiefs missed out on an opportunity that should have been seized.

To be clear about two things: 1.) The Chiefs made for a wide receiver to get DeAndre Hopkins and that was absolutely the right move. (I've been clamoring for him to join the team for a couple of years.), and 2.) That shouldn't have precluded them from potentially making a second deal if they liked the opportunity—and Diontae Johnson is one they should have liked.

The price and opportunity and need—all feels like a missed opportunity for the Chiefs.

On Tuesday, the Baltimore Ravens entered the chat before the NFL's trade deadline and made their own move with the addition of Johnson in a hilarious swap of late-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Basically, the Ravens are sending a fifth-round choice (which should be in the lower quarter of picks) for the Panthers' sixth-round choice (which should be the first overall pick in the round) for Johnson.

Imagine sliding back a handful of spots after 150 picks have already been made in the draft and the return for that is Johnson, a still-young wideout (28) with 30 catches for 357 yards and 3 scores for a lowly Panthers offense this season. That's the steal of the deadline so far.

Could no one offer better than that? Would the Chiefs really not drop from the 4th to the 6th for that? At least that would offer up one full round. It would also give them a front-row seat to look at Johnson and see what their interest levels might be in bringing him back to the roster.

Just in case you think there's no need for Johnson at this point, wait until Sunday when you see the Chiefs going forward with Hopkins, Justin Watson, Xavier Worthy, Mecole Hardman, and Montrell Washington on game days until JuJu Smith-Schuster gets back.

Even after Smith-Schuster gets back, do you really want to keep Hardman on the roster over someone like Johnson? For those who forgot, Johnson led the NFL in punt return average back in 2019 so it's not as if he can't fill those shoes if needed.

Beyond all of this, the Chiefs are only carrying five wideouts, but without Jody Fortson, there's room for a sixth. In short, Johnson and Hopkins should have definitely been in the cards together.

For those who want to say Hollywood Brown might still return later on, that's a long shot of a bet and that's also assuming that a vet like Hopkins holds up for the rest of the season along with Smith-Schuster, Watson, Worthy, and Hardman. The Chiefs aren't remotely close to having enough depth and talent on the depth chart to withstand injuries, so it feels funny that they'd let a pitch go right down the middle like this one.

It'd be one thing if Johnson had cost the Ravens a fifth-round pick straight up. That would still be a steal for them, but a team like the Chiefs has to keep quantity as well as quality of draft picks because that's how such a loaded team keeps things cost-controlled on the roster. Using low-level draft picks well will keep the lights on and the ship afloat even when the bill comes due for bigger stars like Chris Jones or Joe Thuney.

Instead, Johnson didn't cost anything except a bit of a day 3 slide. For the Ravens, it's a laughable amount. This feels like the Chiefs should have challenged this deal with a sweetened pot but now it's an opportunity missed. It's too bad we'll never hear the argument for why it wasn't worth taking.