Top NFL Trade Targets Chiefs Could Pursue After Rashee Rice Knee Injury
The Kansas City Chiefs have been dealt yet another blow in their quest to pull off the NFL's first Super Bowl threepeat. With Rashee Rice joining fellow wideout Marquise Brown on the shelf after suffering a knee injury on Sunday, the club's receiver's room is looking concerningly thin.
Rice had been the clear-cut main weapon for Patrick Mahomes going into Week 4, racking up a whopping 29 targets—17 more than No. 2 option Travis Kelce—in that three-game span. It remains to be seen how long the second-year receiver will be sidelined, but for now, he's out indefinitely while gathering information and mulling surgery per ESPN's Josina Anderson.
While head coach Andy Reid said that the offense will simply "spread the ball around" while Rice is sidelined, it's going to be difficult for this passing attack to remain a force without a true No. 1 in the mix. If Rice ultimately lands on the IR for a lengthy period, the team may need to take advantage of the open trade window by bringing in a high-end replacement.
Fortunately for the Chiefs, there are plenty of elite wideouts who could be expendable leading up to the trade deadline. Whether they're languishing on a non-competitive roster, playing out the string on an expiring contract or simply aren't a fit in their current offense, these receivers have a realistic chance of winding up in Kansas City in the coming weeks.
Read on to find out which targets the Chiefs should pursue in wake of Rice's devastating knee injury.
Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders
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The Las Vegas Raiders may have scrapped and clawed their way to a .500 record in September, but this organization has almost no realistic chance of contending until it finds a franchise quarterback.
Rather than finish yet another fruitless campaign that results in a draft pick too low to land a blue-chip signal-caller, Vegas should be selling off veterans and stockpiling capital with the goal of finally finding a young passer to build around.
The team has a major asset in the form of Davante Adams, the future Hall of Fame receiver who has continued to put up incredible stats despite the revolving door of quarterbacks that have marred his two-plus year tenure in Sin City.
Adams looked on par for yet another 1,000-yard season after securing 18 of his 27 targets for 209 yards and a score over the first three games of 2024. A hamstring injury kept him out of Week 4, however, and the wideout is now considered week-to-week while he recovers—although there is speculation that he's healthy enough to play and is only being held out while a trade is constructed.
Michael Fabiano of Sports Illustrated revealed that Adams may have "already played his last snap with the Raiders" and noted that head coach Antonio Pierce liked (and subsequently removed) the post that contained the report.
If Adams is on the block, there should be no shortage of suitors around the league. The Kansas City Chiefs would almost certainly have interest following Rice's injury and may be willing to make a strong offer to a divisional rival bring the 31-year-old aboard.
While Adams doesn't have a no-trade clause in his contract—which still has three years remaining after he signed a blockbuster five-year, $140 million deal with the Raiders in 2022—he'd likely prefer to land with a contending team with a world-class quarterback like Kansas City.
A Super Bowl ring is one of the few pieces of hardware that still eludes the six-time Pro Bowler and his presence would help the Chiefs remain favorites to win it all again this year.
Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns
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There is still a shred of hope for the 1-3 Cleveland Browns to turn things around with the return of star running back Nick Chubb looming, but the club is simply running out of time to figure things out. Cleveland has yet to score more than 18 points in a single contest this year and looks out of sync with Deshaun Watson under center.
Rather than languish through the rest of the campaign with a high-priced talent like Amari Cooper waiting to hit free agency once his contract expires at the end of the season, the Browns could opt to deal him and get a head start on 2025 by acquiring assets that will help with a rebuild.
Despite ranking No. 1 on the team in receiving touchdowns (two) and trailing only Jerry Jeudy in receptions (16) and receiving yardage (148), Cooper has been struggling this season. He was held to less than 35 yards in three of the first four weeks and has career lows in catch rate (43.2 percent) yards per target (4.0) and yards per game (37).
Given Cooper is now on the wrong side of 30 and unlikely to be retained after he hits the open market, Cleveland would likely jump at the chance to acquire picks from the Chiefs before the trade deadline.
Cooper should also be pushing to escape Cleveland. Getting an opportunity to play with Patrick Mahomes could rejuvenate the wideout's career, allow him a real chance to capture his first championship and set him up to cash in one more big NFL payday next spring.
Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
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The Kansas City Chiefs made headlines earlier this season when they reunited with one of their former superstars, signing Kareem Hunt to help stabilize the backfield in wake of Isiah Pacheco's injury. The team could now bring another familiar face aboard to shore up a Rashee Rice-less receiver's room, executing a blockbuster trade to return Tyreek Hill to the fold.
Hill spent the first six years of his career in Kansas City after the club selected him in the fifth round of the 2016 draft. He earned Pro Bowl honors in each of those campaigns and was instrumental in helping the Chiefs win their Super Bowl in 50 years following the 2019 season.
While Kansas City continued to have team success after dealing Hill to the Miami Dolphins for a slew of draft picks, it could be worth it to cash in some chips to get him back in the mix.
NBC Sports' Matthew Berry suggested that the Dolphins should opt to trade Hill back to his original team after falling to 1-3 on the year. Without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for at least two more weeks, Miami is likely staring down a lost season and could get started on re-tooling for the future with such a move.
Hill would be the most ideal Rice replacement Kansas City could find. He's not only extremely familiar with head coach Andy Reid's systems and schemes, but he's also still capable of playing at an exceedingly high level.
While Hill has been struggling along with the rest of Miami's offense following Tagovailoa's injury, he proved he's still a superstar with a seven-catch, 130-yard, one-touchdown outing in the opener.
Kansas City may just be desperate enough to meet whatever Miami's asking price is for Hill. Chiefs general manager Brett Veach would have to execute some cap wizardry to fit the receiver's massive salary back on the books, but the move would be well worth it if it results in the league's first-ever back-to-back-to-back Super Bowl champions.
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DeAndre Hopkins, Tennessee Titans
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The Tennessee Titans have done their best to surround Will Levis with proven receivers to aid his development, but the second-year quarterback hasn't found much success in 2024 despite the presence of both Calvin Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins. With Levis now injured, it could be time to shake things up.
Hopkins had been faring relatively poorly since Levis took over. Since Week 8 of the 2023 campaign—which marked Levis' first start as a rookie—the veteran wideout has accumulated a meager 802 yards and eight touchdowns on 58 catches across 15 games. He breached the 100-yard mark just twice in those contests and has particularly struggled since the start of the new season.
Hopkins was held to a concerning 17 yards on two catches over the first two weeks. While he showed signs of life with a six-catch, 73-yard showing and scored his lone touchdown of the season in Week 3, the aging receiver failed to build on it and only mustered two catches for 31 yards this past week.
Given the fading production, the Titans should move on from Hopkins less than two years after signing him.
It's worth noting that Hopkins' contract is set to expire after the season. Considering how low his stock is right now, Tennessee's chances of getting a valuable compensatory draft selection following his eventual departure seem unrealistic.
Rather than risk losing Hopkins for almost nothing in return after this tepid 1-3 squad finishes out yet another disappointing year, the Titans should instead be dangling him as trade bait to a desperate rival like the Kansas City Chiefs.
While the 32-year-old's Pro Bowl days are likely behind him, he still managed to post a 1,000-yard receiving campaign and scored seven touchdowns last year despite some severe offensive limitations in Tennessee.
Getting an opportunity to work with Patrick Mahomes within Andy Reid's offense could give Hopkins the shot in the arm he needs to get his career back on track.
Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
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Cooper Kupp hasn't been able to catch a break in the years following his incredible Triple Crown campaign in 2021. The Los Angeles Rams receiver has been limited to 23 of a possible 38 games since due to injuries, including missing two already this season with an ankle injury.
While Kupp showed he can still perform at a high level when healthy—he converted a whopping 21 targets into 14 receptions for 110 yards and a score in L.A.'s 2024 season-opener—his inability to stay on the field has been detrimental to a team that heavily relies on his production to win games.
Rather than leaning on a player who has been so injury prone, the Rams should explore the option of shipping Kupp off in exchange for young pieces and picks they could use to unearth a replacement. The club already has one young star wideout in Puka Nacua to build around and could continue that youth movement by moving on from the 31-year-old Kupp before the deadline.
Despite his availability woes, the Kansas City Chiefs would have to have at least some interest in acquiring Kupp. He's been an absolute game-changer at his best and consistently delivers in the biggest moments, including putting up an eye-popping 33-catch, 478-yard, six-touchdown stat line across L.A.'s four-game Super Bowl run three years ago.
A change of scenery may also help Kupp get a fresh start after missing so much time in recent years. He'd be a natural fit in Kansas City's system and would make its veteran-laden crew of pass-catchers even more dangerous come January if he can find a way to stay healthy.
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