Mahomes, Chiefs Hyped as Super Bowl Favorites by NFL Fans After DeAndre Hopkins Trade

The move everyone has been anticipating for weeks finally happened Wednesday, as the Kansas City Chiefs are getting some much-needed help at wide receiver after acquiring DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Titans will receive a fifth-round draft pick that can become a fourth-rounder in exchange for Hopkins.

As soon as Rashee Rice suffered a knee injury that is expected to be season-ending, it was obvious the Chiefs needed to add another wideout.

Hopkins isn't the same player he was at his peak, but his skill set figures to line up nicely with what Patrick Mahomes wants out of a reliable No. 1 target. He can play in the slot or on the outside, make plays in traffic and win contested catches.

The two-time defending Super Bowl champs are off to a 6-0 start this season despite their offensive struggles. Hopkins' arrival in Kansas City has brought the hype back that a threepeat is possible.

Things have gotten so bad for the Chiefs offense that Patrick Mahomes looks not only mortal, but ineffective for long stretches of time. He has thrown at least one interception in every game this season and leads the league with eight picks overall.

Mahomes' interception rate of 4.3 percent is more than double his career average (1.9 percent). There may not have been a single move that any contending team needed to make more than the Chiefs acquiring a wide receiver.

Hopkins is 32 and has dealt with injuries in recent years. The five-time Pro Bowler missed a total of 15 games over his final two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, but he's played all 23 games with the Titans since the start of the 2023 campaign.

It's hard to know how much of Hopkins' performance this season is because of his age and how much is the result of the Titans getting bad quarterback play. He did have 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns last season with Will Levis and Ryan Tannehill throwing him passes.

The Chiefs will be counting on Hopkins to fill the void left by Rice. That process figures to take time since a lot of it is built on chemistry between the quarterback and receiver. Rice didn't take off until the second half of his rookie year when he learned to settle into soft zones of the defense.

Hopkins' vast experience in the NFL might allow him to build rapport with Mahomes more quickly than a rookie, but the results may not show up right away.

Regardless of how long it might take for Hopkins to fully settle in, the Chiefs absolutely had to add a receiver to have a shot at competing for a Super Bowl again. The way this offense has been operating wasn't sustainable in the playoffs against the NFL's top-tier teams.

Hopkins could make his Chiefs debut as soon as Sunday when they take on the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. His first appearance at Arrowhead Stadium will be on Nov. 4 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.