All offseason there were rumors that the Kansas City Chiefs were trying to trade for another cornerback. Despite the noise, only stop-gap measures were made. The one-year signings of Bashaud Breeland and Morris Claiborne, were not what many Chiefs fans were expecting. Then last week the New England Patriots signed none other than Antonio Brown. The move set the league into a state of shock. How would the Chiefs defense (who couldn’t contain the Patriots offense last season) be expected to stop New England after the addition of Brown? Even if Brown misses time, New England managed to drop 33 points on the Steelers without him. These fears only heightened after the Jacksonville Jaguars were able to put up 26 points on the Chiefs, with an unprepared rookie quarterback. Something needs to be done. With some of the news today, it seems a trade for Patrick Peterson may finally be happening.
Are the Kansas City Chiefs Finally Trading for Patrick Peterson?
$10.6 Million in Cap Space
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Kansas City Chiefs restructured Anthony Hitchen’s and Eric Fishers‘ contracts this morning. This leaves close to $10.6 million in cap space to bring in a top-tier corner. Now I know Patrick Peterson has linked to the Chiefs for what seems like two seasons. So far it’s proved to be nothing but smoke. With this newly found cap space, however, a move may finally be made.
Patrick Peterson
Patrick Peterson’s base salary is $11 million for 2019. The difference of $400k in cap space would be made up by including a player along with draft picks for Peterson. The concern is that Peterson is currently serving a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy. If they were to trade for Peterson, Kansas City would likely wait a couple of weeks to avoid taking on as much of a cap hit. They are looking ahead to the playoffs, and by that time Peterson would have had ample time to be fully integrated into the defense. A player with his footwork and hip-turn ability is a rare thing to find and would be the number one corner on nearly every NFL team. If the Chiefs were able to add him, they would be Super Bowl favorites once again.
Xavien Howard
Another possible trade target could be Xavien Howard. At only 26 years old, he would be a longer-term option than Peterson. Howard has drawn comparisons to Darrelle Revis. Not only is he known for diagnosing plays well, but he also is a strong tackler (something not too common among cornerbacks). With the Miami Dolphins seemingly in free fall, they might be willing to trade Howard away for draft picks. The Dolphins corner only has a cap hit of $10.3 million this season. However, if he is traded for, his cap hit would actually drop to $7.8 million. With this in mind, it may actually make more sense to go after Howard than Peterson.
The New England Patriots changed the whole game on Saturday. With Antonio Brown, Julian Edelman, and Josh Gordon, Kansas City will need some more help in the secondary. Even if Brown doesn’t play this year, New England’s wide receivers are still among the best in the league. Brett Veach looks to be making the space to do just that. It will likely cost the team a first-round pick. While the price isn’t low, you have to consider how often you have a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes on a rookie salary. The time is now.
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