The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs are acquiring three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans, replenishing a position group that has been ravaged by injuries, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the teams have not announced the trade.
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The Chiefs are sending a conditional fifth-round pick to the Titans, according to NFL Network, while Tennessee is taking on some of Hopkins' salary. That was an important point for the Chiefs, who have very little salary cap space.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid declined to acknowledge the trade before practice Wednesday, saying only that general manager Brett Veach was “dealing with all of that.” When pressed about the trade, Reid said with a slight smile: “I know nothing.”
The Chiefs lost wide receiver Marquise Brown, one of their top free-agent signings, to shoulder surgery prior to the start of the season. Second-year star Rashee Rice sustained a season-ending knee injury last month against the Chargers, and veteran wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is out after hurting his hamstring in last Sunday's win over the 49ers.
Hopkins is the third high-profile wide receiver to be traded in just over a week.
Davante Adams was the first to move last Tuesday, going from the Raiders to the Jets for a conditional third-round draft pick next year and reuniting with Aaron Rodgers, his old quarterback in Green Bay. Hours later, the Bills acquired Amari Cooper and a sixth-round pick next year from the Browns for a third-round pick along with a seventh-rounder in 2026.
The 32-year-old Hopkins only had 15 catches for 173 yards and a touchdown in his second season in Tennessee. But Hopkins is a proven star — 943 catches for 12,528 yards and 79 TDs over a career spent mostly in Arizona and Houston — and has a versatile skill set that should fit well into Reid's complex offensive system.
Hopkins is also on an expiring contract, which means the cash-strapped Chiefs will not assume any salary beyond this season. That was crucial to any trade they made given the number of pending free agents they have on the roster.
“I think the biggest thing is just getting with the coaches. The coaches do a great job of getting guys up to speed, and you’ve seen that already this year,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said Wednesday. “I just try to be on the same page as the guys that are in there.”
This is the third straight season that the Chiefs have traded for wide receiver help. They acquired Kadarius Toney from the Giants two years ago, though he was cut before this season, and Mecole Hardman from the Jets last season.
The Chiefs will try to present Hopkins with enough of the playbook that he can help out as soon as Sunday against the Raiders in Las Vegas. But it could take several weeks before he is familiar enough with it to make a genuine impact.
That's not a problem for the Chiefs, though. The only unbeaten team left in the NFL at 6-0, they are eying a much bigger prize: Mahomes and Co. are trying to win an unprecedented third straight Lombardi Trophy come February.
The Chiefs won their second straight Super Bowl by beating the 49ers last February, despite a wide receiver corps that was among the NFL's worst. And while Chiefs general manager Brett Veach tried to solve the problem by signing Brown and drafting Xavier Worthy in the first round, their injury situation this season had left them in a familiar predicament.
The Chiefs still have productive tight ends Travis Kelce and Noah Gray, but they were preparing to play this week with Worthy alongside Hardman, journeyman Justin Watson and disappointing former second round pick Skyy Moore.
Hopkins provides a massive upgrade to that group for a team that has championship expectations.
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Maaddi reported from Clearwater, Florida.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL