Mecole Hardman turned out to be KC Chiefs only in-season trade

The Kansas City Chiefs came into Tuesday with several rumors floating about them one way or the other. As it turns out, it was all for nothing as the Chiefs sat on the sidelines on the last day in which teams could trade with one another for the 2023 regular season in the National Football League.

The NFL set the schedule with 3:00 p.m. C.T. on Tuesday, October 31 as the league's trade deadline. While other teams were dealing for players like pass rushers Chase Young and Montez Sweat, however, the Chiefs decided to stay with their roster as is.

Before the trade deadline, the Chiefs were linked to a number of potential players. It made sense for the team to potentially chase help at a number of positions, from a bigger trade for an offense-changing wide receiver to smaller deals that would bolster positions of need—from running back, where the team looks potentially thin for the rigors of a long season, to linebacker, where injuries are taking a significant toll.

The Chiefs were also rumored to be willing to trade away one of their own in wide receiver Richie James. James has been healthy enough to return from injured reserve, but the team is swimming in similar receivers who excel in the slot.

At the end of the day, it turned out that general manager Brett Veach couldn't find a deal worth taking on either side.

What that does mean is that Mecole Hardman is the only in-season trade of the '23 campaign for the Chiefs. Hardman was added a couple of weeks ago, before the team faced the L.A. Chargers in Week 7, on a minor deal with the New York Jets where low-level picks were exchanged in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The other trades made by Veach in the last few months were two preseason deals to pare down the active roster following the preseason. In those deals, the Chiefs dealt Imhir Smith-Marsette to the Carolina Panthers and traded a future sixth-round choice to the Las Vegas Raiders for defensive tackle Neil Farrell.