Why the Chiefs traded for DeAndre Hopkins is explained

For the third consecutive year, the Kansas City Chiefs are trading for a receiver before the NFL trade deadline.

The Chiefs agreed to acquire veteran wideout DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans on Tuesday, October 23, as first reported by ESPN. Kansas City is sending Tennessee a fifth-round pick that has the potential to become a fourth-rounder if Hopkins meets certain benchmarks.

Hopkins, 32, was a first-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft out of Clemson and posted seven 1,000-yard seasons while playing for the Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals and Titans. In 2023, his first year with the Titans, he recorded 75 catches for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns, but saw his numbers decline in 2024 (15 catches, 173 yards, one touchdown in six games).

Hopkins is the latest big-name receiver to be traded ahead of the 2024 NFL trade deadline on November 5. The New York Jets acquired Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders before Week 7, just hours before the Buffalo Bills traded for Cleveland Browns receiver Amari Cooper.

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Why did the Chiefs trade for DeAndre Hopkins?

The Chiefs traded for Hopkins despite their wide receiver room suffering a series of injuries. They lost top-season target Rashee Rice in Week 4 to a torn ACL, while free-agent signing Hollywood Brown, who was supposed to be the team's second-best receiver, suffered a sternoclavicular injury in the preseason. According to the MMQB's Albert Breer, Brown has only a “slim” chance of recovering from this illness in the postseason.

On top of that, JuJu Smith-Schuster, who took over Rice's role as top slot man after his injury, is dealing with a hamstring injury, and Kansas City had few receivers other than rookie first-round pick Xavier Worthy.

The Chiefs also had a goal of not giving up a top-100 draft pick as they tried to get help from receivers, Breer reports. This made Hopkins a better fit for the team than a player like Adams, especially since the Chiefs already knew Hopkins after courting him as a free agent in 2023.

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It also benefited Kansas City that Hopkins is playing on a relatively cheap, expiring contract. According to Spotrac.com, he will have a cap hit of just over $8 million for the remainder of the season. According to OverTheCap.com, the Chiefs only have $4.15 million in cap space, but it shouldn't be too difficult for them to restructure a contract or two to create the cap space they need for Hopkins.

And Hopkins' contract will expire before the 2025 season, when the Chiefs project a cap space of $27.2 million. That gives them the flexibility to either re-sign Hopkins if things work out or target another high-end receiver if they wish.

Either way, acquiring a proven, productive receiver like Hopkins seems like a low-risk move for the Chiefs. They have strengthened their receiver depth chart and should now have a solid three-man group of Hopkins, Worthy and Smith-Schuster once the latter returns from his hamstring injury.

Hopkins gets to play for a playoff contender and compete for a Super Bowl ring for the first time in his career. That makes this an attractive landing spot for him.

Why the Chiefs traded for DeAndre Hopkins is explained

ByVanessa

Why did the Chiefs trade for DeAndre Hopkins?

By Vanessa

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