Henry McKenna
NFL Reporter
The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs have discovered their new WR1 for what feels just like the fifth time in a 12 months.
With Kansas Metropolis buying and selling for DeAndre Hopkins, Patrick Mahomes will look to get essentially the most out of the 32-year-old wideout. The deal, which is able to ship a conditional fourth-round decide to the Titans, follows accidents to Chiefs receivers Hollywood Brown, Rashee Rice and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Hopkins was on the ultimate 12 months of his contract with the Titans, who, per multiple reports, took on roughly half of the receiver’s $5.05 million base wage to accommodate the Chiefs’ cap limitations. Hopkins was off to a sluggish begin with the 1-5 Titans, with 15 catches for 173 yards and a landing.
That is the third straight 12 months wherein the Chiefs have traded for a receiver midseason. It was Kadarius Toney in 2022, Mecole Hardman in 2023 and now Hopkins in 2024. The commerce for Hopkins is a sign of how the earlier two trades haven’t labored out. (And for that matter, it is a sign of how the current draft picks of Xavier Worthy and Skyy Moore haven’t introduced instant returns — although it is too quickly to find out Worthy’s long-term prospects.)
With Andy Reid and GM Brett Veach struggling to get returns out of midseason trades for wideouts, it is truthful to query whether or not Hopkins can get it executed for the Chiefs.
Hopkins is presently tied for twenty eighth with Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas Jr. on ESPN Analytics’ “open” score that measures separation. That is not dangerous firm, by any means. However it’s a decline from 2023, when Hopkins was one of many high separators within the NFL, tied with Garrett Wilson and A.J. Brown for fifth, per ESPN Analytics. Hopkins additionally managed to place up greater than 1,000 receiving yards final season regardless of an hostile quarterback scenario.
Provided that Hopkins is on the older facet, it is regarding that his manufacturing has waned considerably to begin the 2024 season. It is clear that Will Levis, one of many NFL’s worst beginning quarterbacks, is basically responsible for Hopkins’ disappearance. However we can’t understand how large a motive till Mahomes begins throwing to Hopkins.
Smith-Schuster skilled an identical decline over the previous few years in New England, the place he could not produce in the identical approach that he did with the Chiefs — and positively not on the similar stage as he did with the Pittsburgh Steelers. However when requested to do extra for the Chiefs offense in 2024, Smith-Schuster put up seven catches for 130 yards in opposition to the New Orleans Saints. Mahomes does not have that impact on each receiver, however there is not any doubt that the quarterback can increase the manufacturing of the proper wideout.
Hopkins is an efficient match for the Chiefs. He has the scale and athleticism to get open in each space on the sphere, and can seemingly step into the position of the injured Rice — a possession receiver who can assault the deep third of the sphere when the time is correct. That’ll make house for Worthy excessive and, maybe, might scale back the variety of double-teams on Travis Kelce.
Even with Kansas Metropolis struggling to acclimate receivers midseason, and even with Hopkins displaying indicators of age, it is onerous to wager in opposition to a Hopkins-Mahomes mixture — notably with Reid designing performs. Simply have a look at what the Buffalo Payments did with Amari Cooper, who joined the staff in a commerce and, inside days, had 60 yards and a landing in his debut.
[Related: NFL Trade deadline tracker]
The excellent news for the Chiefs is that they did not danger a lot to make the deal work. They’re going to pay Hopkins at a reduction for the rest of the season. The draft-pick compensation is a fifth-round decide that jumps to a fourth-rounder relying upon Hopkins’ taking part in time and a Chiefs Tremendous Bowl win. These are circumstances that will make Ok.C. joyful to surrender an early Day 3 decide.
Does DeAndre Hopkins clear up the Chiefs’ offensive struggles?
It is the kind of commerce that is good for the NFL.
Late within the Titans’ blowout loss to the Payments in Week 7, Hopkins was standing close to head coach Brian Callahan — and never becoming a member of his offense on the sphere. He was coping with a knee harm, nevertheless it appeared clear the Titans have been holding out in an abundance of warning and since that they had no probability of successful the sport in a season after they don’t have any probability of constructing the playoffs.
We have been seeing Tennessee waste the ultimate years of Hopkins’ prime.
Now, this is not to say Hopkins had some company within the course of — he picked the Titans over the Chiefs (amongst others) in free company in 2023, per FOX Sports’ Peter Schrager. However it’s nice to see groups working to maneuver their stars (like Hopkins, Davante Adams and Cooper) off irrelevant groups (just like the Titans, Raiders and Browns) to enhance the standard of play of contenders. Till lately, these have been the form of offers that followers would dream about on the deadline however wouldn’t get, due to the NFL’s general commerce inflexibility.
The league is so significantly better for the motion on the commerce market. Now the query is how significantly better Hopkins could make the Chiefs.
Previous to becoming a member of FOX Sports activities as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years overlaying the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports activities Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Comply with him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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