The Kansas City Chiefs have traded for Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, according to multiple reports.
Hopkins, 32, will help strengthen a receiving corps that has lost Rashee Rice, Marquise Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster to injuries.
The Chiefs are sending send a fifth-round draft pick that can become a fourth-rounder if Kansas City reaches the Super Bowl and Hopkins plays 60% of snaps as a Chief, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Tennessee will also pay Hopkins $2.5 million.
Hopkins has 15 catches for 173 yards this season for a Titans team that has won just one game and struggled at quarterback. Hopkins had a knee injury in training camp that didn’t require surgery. He had 75 catches for 1,057 yards last season with Tennessee.
Hopkins is the third prominent receiver over the past eight days to be traded. Last week, the Las Vegas Raiders sent Davante Adams to the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns traded Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills. The Los Angeles Rams have also reportedly initiated trade discussions with teams for former Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp.
The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs have the best record in the NFL at 6-0 but have been in the market for a receiver to help quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Brown isn’t expected to play in the regular season after having shoulder surgery last month for an injury he suffered in the preseason. Rice also isn’t expected to play for the remainder of the season after having surgery two weeks ago to repair the posterolateral corner of his right knee. He was hurt during a victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Smith-Schuster missed Sunday’s victory over the San Francisco 49ers because of a hamstring injury and has already been declared out for the Chiefs’ Week 8 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
It’s the third straight season the Chiefs have made an in-season trade for a wide receiver. During 2022, the Chiefs sent a third and a sixth-round pick to the New York Giants for Kadarius Toney. He is no longer on the roster, though he did have a crucial punt return in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win over the Philadelphia Eagles in February of 2023.
Last season, the Chiefs traded a sixth-round pick to the Jets for Mecole Hardman and a seventh-round pick. Hardman had left the Chiefs to sign with the Jets as a free agent in the offseason. Hardman caught the game-winning pass in overtime of Super Bowl LVIII and re-signed with the Chiefs this offseason.