There’s very little doubt that this offseason is perhaps the most important one in the Patrick Mahomes era for the Kansas City Chiefs. Yeah, that can be said every year, but it especially rings true this offseason. Mahomes is recovering from a major knee injury, the team has the least amount of cap space in the NFL, and there have been significant changes to the coaching staff.
Heading into this offseason, the Chiefs need to address several areas, including their running back room and defensive line, but one position that is a sneaky need could be wide receiver.
The Chiefs have invested a decent amount in the position over the last few years, including a second-round pick in Rashee Rice and a first-round pick in Xavier Worthy, but that group still left a lot to be desired last season. Yes, Worthy was nursing an injury and Rice missed over half the season, but even when everyone was on the field, the results weren’t pretty.
Worthy, Rice, and Hollywood Brown all struggled to get open consistently versus man and zone coverage, and the passing offense was underwhelming despite having Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and an above-average offensive line. Some people might blame the now-departed Connor Embree and Matt Nagy, while others will blame Brett Veach for the personnel decisions.
Given how Rashee Rice is entering the final season of his rookie contract and is dealing with multiple off-the-field concerns (including domestic violence accusations in early January), should the Chiefs at least consider trading him? I would argue they should at least gauge the trade market.
The recent drama surrounding Rashee Rice will make this offseason even more complicated for the Kansas City Chiefs.
An obvious problem with that is his trade value is currently unknown, but it’s likely that he wouldn’t fetch very much in a trade.
The arguments for trading Rice include him not being worth the off-field issues and not being worth a huge contract, which he is eligible to sign this offseason and will need by next year (barring a franchise tag). The main argument against trading him is very simple: he’s their best pass-catcher, and he’ll only be 26 years old in April.
Look, I’m not advocating what Brett Veach should or shouldn’t do, but he needs to at least consider the possibility that Rice isn’t worth having on the team next year.
Given how the Chiefs currently hold a top-10 pick for the first time since 2017 (I wonder who they picked that year?) and currently hold their own top-10 pick for the first time since they picked first overall in 2013, they have as golden of an opportunity as ever to pick the next blue-chip player for this franchise, which could definitely use one. Should that player be a wide receiver? There’s a serious argument that it should be.
Fortunately, there are three wide receivers likely worth a top-10 pick this year: Carnell Tate out of Ohio State, Jordan Tyson from Arizona State, and Makai Lemon out of USC. All of them have their flaws, but they also have bona fide No. 1 wide receiver potential.
Many fans will scream for a running back or pass rusher at ninth overall in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. While drafting a great player at either position would be awesome for this team, landing a blue-chip wide receiver could pay more dividends over the next ~5 years than either a running back or pass rusher, since giving Patrick Mahomes a premium target is always a good idea.
In the end, no matter where one stands on the issue, the Rashee Rice drama makes this offseason even more challenging for the Chiefs. They have a lot of needs to address, but wide receiver should not be forgotten.