Earlier this week, the Arrowhead Pride staff shared five bold predictionsbefore the season begins. Jared Sapp wrote a sixth that rookie site manager Ron Kopp Jr. overlooked when gathering responses: the Chiefs will execute a major in-season trade for an offensive weapon.
He’s no longer held to the “prediction” because of the exclusion, but fortunately for us, Jared decided to elaborate further on the question: Should the Chiefs be open to a major in-season trade?
The Kansas City Chiefs have repeatedly
shown the ability to overhaul the defense in an offseason. The 2026 season will mark the third major defensive overhaul since coordinator Steve Spagnuoulo joined the Chiefs in 2019.
The team has been much more hesitant in general, however, to tinker with the offense. That won’t be an option going forward.
Tight end Travis Kelce is almost certainly in his final season. Dependability (on multiple fronts) continues to be too much of a concern for pending free agent wide receiver Wide receiver Rashee Rice to justify a lucrative long-term extension. 2024 first round selection Xavier Worthy’s lack of size appears to limit his ceiling as a starting wideout.
At every opportunity through the trade deadline, general manager Brett Veach needs to have his eyes on what the offense is going to look like in 2027 and beyond.
While the upcoming draft is deep at wide receiver, Veach has generally shown a preference for addressing needs ahead of time. Since starting wide receivers generally do not actually hit free agency, targeting an acquisition who would be amicable to a new contract in Kansas City ahead of the trade deadline would be a sound strategy.
There are multiple ways this could go.
One path could be a member of the 2024 draft class just becoming extension eligible. Multiple such players now play for coaching staffs that had no part in drafting them.
Every year, there is also at least one veteran on a disappointing squad seeking a change of scenery. The Chiefs should be ready to pounce.
Would the cost be high? Almost certainly. Kansas City is already up against the 2027 salary cap — mostly due to the contract adjustment for quarterback Patrick Mahomes that will assuredly be restructured in the spring.
The Chiefs have an extra third round pick and may receive a fourth-round compensatory selection. Draft compensation in trades is always painful, but Veach has to consider any option before him.
As Kansas City’s general manager, we have seen Veach twice trade first round selections for positions he could not address in free agency. The price paid to acquire defensive end Frank Clark in 2019 and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. in 2021 can be debated, but both moves yielded starters on Super Bowl winning squads.
If a chance is there before the early November trade deadline to add a cost controlled offensive weapon, Veach should be open to it.
