The Kansas City Chiefs have a new threat at wide receiver.
The Chiefs are sending a conditional fourth-round pick to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins. With Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown injured and Xavier Worthy a rookie, Hopkins’ experience is as valuable as his talent.
The move seems well-received in the locker room, at least for one star. All-Pro defensive lineman Chris Jones sent a two-word message in celebration.
“Let’s gooooooooooooo,” Jones posted on X on October 23, sharing a graphic of the news.
The graphic, from Bleacher Report, cited NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. ESPN’s Adam Schefter first shared the news on social media, reporting several key preliminary details about the blockbuster deal.
From @GMFB: The #Chiefs are loading up, trading for #Titans star WR DeAndre Hopkins. pic.twitter.com/gnFYeoT8DU
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 23, 2024
“It’s happening: Titans and Chiefs are working to finalize a trade that would send WR DeAndre Hopkins to Kansas City, league sources tell ESPN,” Schefter reported.
“And so the unbeaten, two-time Super Bowl champs now will get better with the addition of DeAndre Hopkins, who will go from playing with Will Levis and Mason Rudolph to playing with Patrick Mahomes.”
Chiefs Checked on DeAndre Hopkins Trade Last Season
This is not exactly a surprising development for the suddenly-playmaker-starved Chiefs, who also lost retread JuJu Smith-Schuster to a hamstring injury in Week 7.
“Chiefs flirted with signing DeAndre Hopkins in 2023. Was too pricey at the time. And this time around, they didn’t want to give up a Top 100 pick—but knew they had a WR need,” The Monday Morning Quarterback’s Albert Breer posted in reaction to the trade. “Rashee Rice done for the year. Hollywood Brown’s hopes for a playoff return are slim. So here we are.”
Hopkins, 32, has 15 receptions for 173 yards and 1 touchdown through seven weeks in 2024.
He caught 75 passes for 1,057 yards and 7 scores in 2023, despite playing with a suboptimal situation at quarterback.
Screw it, DeAndre Hopkins highlights! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/iZfrvMTBR1
— Brad Henson Productions (@BradHensonPro) October 23, 2024
“While the Titans and Chiefs continue to iron out the details of the trade, the Chiefs are expecting DeAndre Hopkins to land in Kansas City later today and the hope is to get him ready to play on Sunday against the Raiders, per sources,” The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported on X after news broke.
Hopkins is in the final year of a two-year, $26 million contract he signed in free agency in 2023. He will hit the market again in 2025. He joins Amari Cooper (Cleveland Browns to Buffalo Bills) and Davante Adams (Las Vegas Raiders to New York Jets) as star wide receivers dealt away before the trade deadline this season.
However, Hopkins, as talented as he is and as much as he may help the Chiefs, was not their first option.
Chiefs Backed Off Pursuit of Super Bowl Champion Before Landing DeAndre Hopkins
The Chiefs also checked in on Los Angeles Rams star wideout Cooper Kupp. Kupp is a Super Bowl champion and 1-time Pro Bowler. But he has dealt with his fair share of injuries at 31 years old.
“The Rams and the Chiefs discussed Cooper Kupp, but the Super Bowl champs needed to trade with a team that was willing to take on a large chunk of the salary and didn’t want to give up high picks,” Russini reported in a separate post on the deal. “Tennessee is the team willing to play ball.”
LA is said to be willing to eat some of Kupp’s remaining salary. But Russini and colleagues Jourdan Rodrigue and Michael Silver reported on their desire for a second-round pick in return for Kupp on October 22.
Cooper Kupp on recent trade rumors:
"I'm just going to be where my feet are"
yeah he's gone 💔💔 pic.twitter.com/5mw0sWdC6G
— austin (@PukaMVP) October 23, 2024
For a team with the high-level (see: expensive) top talent the Chiefs have, the difference between losing a Day 2 pick versus one on Day 3 could be paramount.
The Chiefs helped themselves now for their pursuit of history and down the road in the draft.
