close
close

Did the Chiefs or Titans win the deal for WR?

play

Even at 6-0, the Kansas City Chiefs decided to partially follow the lead of their AFC competition and were the last team to make a spectacular deal for a wide receiver before the NFL trade deadline.

On Wednesday, the Chiefs agreed to acquire five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans. The move comes just a week after the New York Jets signed Davante Adams and the Buffalo Bills signed Amari Cooper to bolster their faltering passing attacks.

Hopkins recorded just 15 catches for 173 yards and one touchdown, but was limited by a knee injury he suffered in the preseason and the Titans' difficult aerial attack. In Kansas City, he will be expected to help improve an offense that managed just 145 passing yards in Sunday's win over the San Francisco 49ers while injuries mounted on the receiving team.

Here are the trade winners and losers, as well as our grades for both teams.

winner

Patrick Mahomes

The two-time MVP remained undeterred by mounting injuries to his receiving corps, expressing confidence last week in the diminished roster he still had at his disposal. Still, this move represents perhaps the most significant talent boost Kansas City has had within reach — at least after dealing Cooper. Going with rookie speedster Xavier Worthy and veteran Justin Watson wasn't a viable option, especially after JuJu Smith-Schuster was sidelined with a hamstring injury that has already sidelined him for Week 8. Mahomes might take some time to build a rapport with Hopkins, but equipping the quarterback with a physical target who thrives in the short area will give him many of the easy throws that were denied him after losing Rice. And for a passer who is now tied for the NFL lead with eight interceptions, he shouldn't have to press quite as often.

Travis Kelce

The blanket reporting that has accompanied him all season is not going anywhere. But given his 17-yard effort against the 49ers, his second-worst performance of the season, it was clear that a change in the supporting cast was due. Mahomes will still have his eye on his nine-time Pro Bowl tight end. But the quality of Kelce's appearance should improve at least slightly.

DeAndre Hopkins

Call this a reward for his patience. Hopkins didn't make much of a fuss when he left, and now the 32-year-old is certainly a first-round pick for the NFL's only undefeated team and its most dynamic quarterback. That's a win in the context of this season alone. But with his contract expiring in the spring, Hopkins is also in a position to showcase his skills in a far more conducive environment than Tennessee.

loser

Will Levis and Mason Rudolph

Simply put, this deal doesn't happen if Levis gave the Titans any reason to believe he was a worthwhile or even viable long-term investment at quarterback. But with the volatile passer unable to dial back his freewheeling style, a Tennessee team that was supposed to be competitive this season pivoted and took away one of its top receiving options to instead increase its draft capital . It's hard to see this as anything other than an indication that this team is already eyeing a move behind center for 2025. With Levis still dealing with a shoulder injury that sidelined him in Week 7, the move also hurts Rudolph, who didn't provide much of a spark as a backup starter against the Buffalo Bills.

Wide receiver on the trading block

Who wouldn't dream of being sent to Mahomes and the two-time champions when you're on a weak offense on a losing team? While that doesn't necessarily stop Kansas City from making another move, it's enough to indicate that the team is set on receiver. Too bad for Cooper Kupp, Diontae Johnson, Darius Slayton, Christian Kirk and all the other pass catchers.

JuJu Smith-Schuster

He made an impressive comeback after Rice's loss, recording seven catches for 130 yards against the New Orleans Saints. But did the hamstring injury he suffered at least partially open the door for this deal? While his connection to Mahomes will allow him to remain in the picture, it seems clear that Hopkins' arrival significantly compromises the role Smith-Schuster was trying to fill.

AFC contenders

Everyone else in the field has already suffered at least two defeats. Ahead of the duels with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills, the Chiefs have now consolidated their weakest position. The attempt to dethrone Kansas City – and prevent another AFC championship game at Arrowhead Stadium – is becoming more and more impressive.

Trade varieties by DeAndre Hopkins

Chiefs: A-

This seemed like the deal that made too much sense to actually happen. And for a while it seemed like that wouldn't be the case, as there was excitement that the Titans weren't eager to move on from their No. 2 target, and Hopkins expressed no dissatisfaction with his standing. Still, general manager Brett Veach found a way to get a deal done for a pass catcher before the trade deadline for the third straight year.

However, you can bet that Hopkins' influence could be greater than that of Kadarius Toney and Mecole Hardman. As hard as the Chiefs tried to move forward, it was clear that an additional weapon was needed after Rashee Rice's season-ending knee injury, adding to the problems for a receiving corps already without Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (shoulder). made the playoffs even more difficult. For that to happen, Hopkins doesn't need to rediscover his electrifying form early in his career. If he can simply continue to overwhelm defensive backs at the catch point and enjoy a large number of targets on the low and intermediate routes, he can support the Chiefs' revamped offensive mission, which is high-functioning, not explosive.

Titans: B

General manager Ran Carthon deserves some credit for looking at the bigger picture and not just going with Hopkins. While it was obvious that a receiver who made a name for himself on contested catches would be a good complement to Calvin Ridley, who wins on separation, and would be a great asset to an uncertain second-year signal-caller in Levis, but That's obviously not the case for the 1-5 Titans. With Tennessee already short in the third round in 2025 due to the L'Jarius Sneed transfer that has yielded ugly results so far, it was time to find more draft resources for a team whose offensive staff is postseason needs to be restarted again.

Get to the heart of the news quickly with the USA TODAY app. Download for award-winning reporting, crosswords, audio storytelling, the e-newspaper and more.

You may also like...