After beating the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs are the NFL's last unbeaten team of the 2024 season, easily atop the AFC West at 6-0. So the reigning Super Bowl champions don't need any help, right? Well, perhaps. Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid have shown us time and again that they'll elevate the weapons at their disposal when it matters most, so all in all, this team is legit.
Yet who says you can't bolster areas of weakness? Who says you should rest on your laurels, especially when you're after a record third straight Lombardi Trophy? With key veterans like Rashee Rice and Marquise Brown banged up alongside reserves like JuJu Smith-Schuster, here are five wide receivers the Chiefs could target ahead of the league's Nov. 5 in-season trade deadline:
Typically teams don't trade for a veteran starter and then trade him away the same season, but the Carolina Panthers don't have Johnson under contract beyond 2024, and at age 28, with no clear quarterback plan in place, he's a questionable long-term fit. The former Pittsburgh Steelers standout still has plenty of downfield ability, however, and would seemingly make for a plug-and-play half-season rental in Kansas City.
It's unlikely the Jacksonville Jaguars want to forfeit any of their skill weapons while trying to salvage a boom-or-bust year for Trevor Lawrence and Doug Pederson, but Kirk has had curiously streaky usage two years after clearing 1,100 yards as the top target. His history working out of the slot suggests he'd be a perfect multipurpose option for Reid's offense, giving Kansas City a more sure-handed catch-and-run threat.
Hopkins apparently has little desire to leave the Tennessee Titans, despite the team's rough start and murky quarterback situation. That doesn't mean he or the Titans couldn't be convinced to part ways. A reported target of the Chiefs before he signed with Tennessee in 2023, the former Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals star is aging and nicked up, but he could still offer top-level route-running in a secondary role.
Sidelined for the Panthers' last four games with a hamstring injury, the 34-year-old Thielen could be on his last legs, which doesn't necessarily scream "upgrade" for the Chiefs' current setup. When healthy, though, the former Minnesota Vikings fan favorite has remained a reliable high-volume possession target. His savviness would be a major plus for Reid's lineup, and he'd likely welcome a chance to contend.
The sixth-year veteran has occasionally looked like a true No. 1, but the New York Giants offense is stuck in mud, with Daniel Jones flailing behind an embattled line. Besides, Malik Nabers is in tow as the future face of the receiving corps. A pending free agent, Slayton's field-stretching ability would surely be welcome in Kansas City, where he'd also get the best chance of his career at making a legitimate playoff run.
