KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Once upon a time, the NFL trade deadline would pass with barely a whimper but that’s no longer the case, especially after last year’s deadline day saw a record 11 swaps involving 13 players across the league.
The deadline arrives at 3 p.m. central time Tuesday, Oct. 31, and it’s only reasonable to presume the Chiefs would have an interest in getting involved. General manager Brett Veach has made trade deadline deals in each of the last three seasons, acquiring wide receiver Kadarius Toney a year ago and defensive end Melvin Ingram in 2021. In 2023 the club traded running back DeAndre Washington to the Miami Dolphins.
The Resources
There are two things a club needs in order to make a deadline-day deal: players or draft picks to trade and salary cap space to fit in a contract.
In terms of draft picks, the Chiefs currently hold six picks in the 2024 draft and seven selections in the 2025 and 2026 drafts. They used their 2024 sixth-round choice to acquire defensive tackle Neil Farrell from the Raiders earlier this season. The Chiefs are also projected to pick up an additional 2024 fifth-round pick from the free-agent compensation formula.
The salary cap, however, is a different matter. As of Monday morning, the Chiefs have $3,202,691 in available space according to the NFLPA public salary cap report. The Chiefs would be responsible for the prorated portion of any player’s salary for the remainder of the season. That’s enough cap space to squeeze in a player contract with a base salary of up to $5.76 million.
Kansas City can clear more salary cap space if needed by trading a player away or restructuring existing contracts to push money into future seasons. For example, the Chiefs could create up to $4.48 million in cap space by restructuring the contract of tight end Travis Kelce. The remaining 2023 base salaries of safety Justin Reid ($4.97 million) and receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($4.75 million) could also be converted into signing bonuses to free up space but since both players are only signed through the 2024 season, void years would need to be added to both contracts to generate the most savings.
Potential Targets
Teams rarely tip their hands publicly regarding trade prospects but oftentimes the sellers are easy to suss out by looking at the standings. Teams falling out of playoff contention, such as Carolina (1-6) and Arizona (1-7) pop out immediately. Even teams such as New England (2-6) could be sellers. More borderline are teams like Denver (3-5) and Washington (3-5) who aren’t out of the playoff picture quite yet.
Tennessee receiver DeAndre Hopkins and Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans are speculated as potential available trade targets but both teams remain in the postseason chase. Will the Titans or Buccaneers throw in the towel and start rebuilding?
In the case of those receivers, their contracts are also key considerations. Hopkins has a 2023 base salary of $1.165 million which makes his contract easily movable. Evans, however, carries a price tag of $13 million, which would require adjusting his base salary to fit the Chiefs’ cap availability.
The same is true for Arizona’s Marquise Brown ($13.4 million), another player rumored on the trade block.
If the Chiefs are in the market for a receiver, Denver’s Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton and Las Vegas’ Hunter Renfrow might be available. But would either AFC West opponent be willing to trade with Kansas City? Denver might considering they’ve finished their series with the Chiefs for the season but the Raiders still have to meet Kansas City twice.
New England receiver Kendrick Bourne seems a perfect candidate for the Chiefs but he’s getting an MRI on his injured knee Monday. Washington’s Curtis Samuel has been sidelined with a toe injury but could be a target as well. Commanders’ receivers could have premium value for Kansas City given their work with offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy this season.
Two other names to watch: Indianapolis’ Michael Pittman Jr. and Carolina’s DJ Chark. Both will be free agents this offseason.
Chiefs Needs
Perhaps the biggest need for the Chiefs is an impact player on offense, argues Nick Jacobs of KSHB 41. On the 41 is the Mic podcast, Jacobs said Sunday’s 24-9 loss to Denver illustrates the need to provide more weaponry for Patrick Mahomes.
“You got to get that guy more speed, plain and simple,” Jacobs said. “Whether it’s running back, receiver, you’ve got to get it because that’s part of the problem in the run game.”
Isiah Pacheco ranks No. 10 in the league with 459 yards rushing but the Chiefs could use another speed back in their backfield to pair with him. While Travis Kelce also ranks No. 10 in the NFL with 583 yards receiving, Kansas City’s leading receiver is rookie Rashee Rice, who ranks No. 51 in the league with 361 yards through the air. Providing Mahomes with another reliable target would appear high on the wish list.
After the Deadline
Once the trade deadline passes Tuesday afternoon, no trades can be processed until the beginning of the new league year in mid-March. Also after the trade deadline, all players released by clubs must pass through the waiver wire. That’s how the Chiefs were able to obtain defensive end Terrell Suggs in December 2019.
