It has been an eventful day for the Kansas City Chiefs already. The team announced early Wednesday morning that they had, indeed, made a trade for a wide receiver.
After months of speculation, the Chiefs went out and traded for Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. In the deal, the Chiefs sent Tennessee a fifth-round pick that has a chance to become a fourth-round pick based on playing time and a Super Bowl appearance; interesting terms, to say the least.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has looked fine, at best, over the past few weeks yet the Chiefs have continued to win on the heels of their strong defense and the offense making enough plays to stay undefeated.
Now, Mahomes has a former All-Pro wide receiver in his arsenal and, although Hopkins isn't what he once was, my assumption is that this change of scenery is going to pay dividends.
The intriguing aspect of all of this is an emerging report that the Chiefs were not only in discussions for Hopkins, but also for L.A. Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
The Rams had made it known they were willing to trade Kupp this week, but the Chiefs did not want to entertain Los Angeles' asking price, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini.
The Rams and the the Chiefs discussed Cooper Kupp, but the Super Bowl champs needed to trade with a team that was willing to take on a large chunk of the salary and didn’t want to give up high picks. Tennessee is the team willing to play ball.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) October 23, 2024
The Rams made it public that they wanted a second-rounder in exchange for Kupp, and they were willing to pay down some of Kupp's salary in exchange for the pick. But, only half of that equation was met on Kansas City's end.
The Chiefs liked the idea that L.A. was willing to pay down some of Kupp's salary, but they wouldn't budge on giving up a higher draft pick.
Cooper Kupp would have been as much of a risk as DeAndre Hopkins for the Chiefs
Oddly enough, both of these wide receivers come with risk. To begin his career, Hopkins stayed mostly healthy. However, over recent years, Hopkins' health has taken a turn for the worse as he's dealt with some more significant issues.
The same goes for Kupp, who was recently on injured reserve yet again. Kupp has endured some significant injuries in recent years, as well, and the Chiefs likely took that into consideration during trade talks.
Giving up a second-round pick in exchange for a guaranteed-healthy Kupp would be one thing, but knowing the stud wideout has not enjoyed a clean bill of health in recent seasons is a good reason to pause. Last year, Kupp missed five games due to injury after missing eight in 2022.
Fans likely salivate over thinking of Kupp in Kansas City, and justifiably so. He's still one of the best wide receivers in football if he's healthy. But, that's a big "if." Giving up a Day 3 pick, instead, for another former Pro Bowler and All-Pro, seemed like the way to go for the Chiefs.