NFL Trade Rumors: Chiefs Eye WR amid Rashee Rice Injury; Davante Adams Deal Unlikely

The Kansas City Chiefs want to make a trade to fill in for injured wide receiver Rashee Rice, but are not expected to acquire Las Vegas Raiders wideout Davante Adams, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported.

Rice was placed on injured reserve on Thursday with a knee injury. It is not yet clear if he will return this season.

Adams requested a trade from the Raiders earlier this week, but the Chiefs would have difficulty making space for his cap hit, Schefter reported. Kansas City has less than $4.8 million available, per Over the Cap.

Adams' cap hit will amount to however much salary is left on his contract at the time of the trade. That amount is set to fall to about $12.2 million, lower than his season-opening $16.89 hit but enough to necessitate some salary maneuvering should the Chiefs pursue him, after the Raiders' Week 5 game on Sunday.

Schefter added that Adams "might not be enthused about playing in Kansas City" because he received misdemeanor charges that were later dropped after shoving a media member following a game at Arrowhead Stadium in October 2022.

Another obstacle to a Chiefs-Adams deal could be the timing of the trade.

The Chiefs want to wait to find out more about Rice's injury before making a move, Schefter reported, and the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport recently wrote that Adams trade talks "are expected to accelerate Monday and Tuesday."

Given that Rapoport and Schefter have reported that the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers are interested in the Raiders' star wideout, the Chiefs might miss the window of his availability while waiting to learn more about Rice's recovery timeline.

Rapoport reported on Saturday that Rice is set to undergo "an arthroscopic procedure" early this week to decide the extent of the injury he suffered during the Chiefs' Week 4 win over the Los Angeles Chargers last Sunday.

Rice's potential recovery timeline could range from four to six weeks to nine months, according to Rapoport. The Chiefs will wait until they learn which end of that timeline Rice is closer to before making a move, per Schefter.

Schefter named Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins as a possible target for the Chiefs. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on Saturday that Kansas City "badly" wanted to sign Hopkins in free agency prior to the 2023 season.

Should the Jets succeed in trading for Adams, the Chiefs could alternately pursue a New York wide receiver like Garrett Wilson or Allen Lazard, Schefter noted.

With Marquise Brown out for the season and Rice, who leads the team with 288 receiving yards, sidelined for the near future if not the rest of the season, the Chiefs are likely on track to make a midseason move for another wideout. What that trade looks like will depend on what news Kansas City receives about Rice's injury next week.