"Is General Manager Brett Veach awake?" "Is he even trying anymore??" The Kansas City Chiefs haven't won a Super Bowl since February and it's concerning! At least that's the way it can seem around the internet during trade season.
Tuesday featured a flurry of trades including star receivers Davante Adams and Amari Cooper. Two AFC teams wasted no time in buying at the deadline with the Jets acquiring Aaron Rodgers' old running mate and the Bills bringing in Amari Cooper to help replace the void left by Stefon Diggs.
The Chiefs have a definitive need at the receiver position after losing both Marquise Brown and Rashee Rice for most if not the entire season. The Chiefs are now relying on rookie Xavier Worthy, Justin Watson, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Travis Kelce to carry the passing offense. With a chance to complete the historic three-peat, the Chiefs are expected to remain aggressive on the trade market.
Perspective
Yes, two possible targets were traded on Tuesday but in reality, Amari Cooper was the only target that was a reality for the Chiefs. The ghost of Al Davis himself would have vetoed the Raiders trading an all-pro receiver to the Chiefs. Not to mention the cap implications would have been complicated as well. If you are frustrated about the Chiefs not trading for Davante Adams, consider this your reality check.
As for Amari Cooper, he was a realistic target for the Chiefs. The Browns converted most of his contract into a bonus making it so he was very affordable against the 2024 salary cap. Also, the Chiefs have zone beaters (Kelce and JuJu) and field stretchers (Worthy and Hardman). What they need is a receiver who can beat man coverage one-on-one. Cooper is a guy who can do that and for the affordable price of a third-round pick (which the Chiefs have two of in 2025), it certainly stings to see him go to a rival.
Another piece of perspective to have is the fact that the Chiefs' estimated cap space is currently at $4.1 million dollars according to Over the Cap. If the Chiefs are planning on making a move at a receiver they will need a cheap player or the team that is trading the player to eat some salary. This often means the Chiefs will have to send a better draft pick to acquire the player.
Timing
It's early. The NFL trade deadline isn't until November 5th, which is the latest it's been in quite some time, giving more time to both sellers and buyers to make moves. There are teams right now who might become sellers in the coming weeks who wouldn't consider it currently. Likewise, this might thin out competition for the Chiefs in acquiring players some teams might view themselves as contenders that will ultimately find out they are not in a few weeks.
Not only is the timing early but also the crop of the players is still plenty thick for the Chiefs to ultimately trade for. Names like Diontae Johnson, Christian Kirk, Jalin Hyatt, Darius Slayton, and DeAndre Hopkins are still available. There are plenty of trade candidates still available for the Chiefs to trade for. While Adams and Cooper certainly were toward the top of the list, the Chiefs still have options.
Another factor to consider is what do the Chiefs think of Marquise Brown's healing? Is there a chance he returns by late December? Even without an addition of a trade, Brown, Xavier Worthy, Travis Kelce, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Isiah Pacheco, and Kareem Hunt coupled with a strong defense is still a championship formula. If the Chiefs feel like they can get Brown back before the playoffs, the need at receiver is lessened especially when you consider the direct replacement of JuJu Smith-Schuster to Rashee Rice.
End Goal
With all of these caveats in place, the end goal is still to hoist the Lombardi trophy for the third straight year. Anything short of that will ultimately feel like a failure for this roster. The Chiefs can likely win 11-14 regular season games as currently constructed without trading for a receiver. However, we know the goal is much bigger than that. General Manager Brett Veach needs to consider what moves he feels can not only help this team three-peat but also extend the winning window as long as possible.
As hard as it is to believe, the 2025 and 2026 football seasons will come and we all still want the Chiefs to win Super Bowls then too. With Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, you never want to mortgage the future too much for a single season. If Mahomes can win a Super Bowl with rookie Rashee Rice, Marquez Valdes-Scanting, Justin Watson, and Travis Kelce anything is possible.