NFL Writer Makes the Case for Rare Chiefs-Raiders Trade

Getty Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams with the football against the Kansas City Chiefs in January of 2023.

NFL trades don’t generally occur between bitter division rivals like the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders — but that didn’t stop Bleacher Report writer Ryan Fowler from urging KC to pursue superstar wide receiver Davante Adams on September 29.

“Help at the wide receiver spot has been a need in Kansas City since Tyreek Hill was traded to Miami in March [of] 2022,” Fowler began. “Skyy Moore, Rashee Rice and Justin Watson have taken advantage of their targets, but Adams is in a completely different stratosphere of talent at the wideout position.”

He added that although “Travis Kelce draws eyes at the tight end spot… the insertion of Adams on the perimeter, not only would Patrick Mahomes have another future Hall of Famer to throw to, but his presence alone would give Kelce more one-on-one matchups.”

“The Chiefs seemingly traded Hill because they couldn’t afford him, but their reported offseason interest in DeAndre Hopkins suggests they could be ready to spend big on a WR1,” Fowler concluded.

Raiders WR Davante Adams to the Chiefs Is Highly Unlikely

As nice as it would be to see Adams in red and gold rather than silver and black, it’s hard to imagine the Raiders trading their most talented players to the franchise that has been kicking their you know what for the better part of the last decade.

And let’s say somehow the Chiefs convinced Las Vegas to let bygones be bygones, they’d likely overcharge Kansas City by such a substantial amount that one could argue the organization is better off without him — as dynamic as he is.

You also have to take into account price tag. Fowler noted that he took cap space into consideration when writing this article, but that’s somewhat hard to believe when you look at Adams’ contract along with the Chiefs’ current financial situation.

Over the Cap lists KC 27th in the NFL with a little over $3.84 million in available cap space in 2023. To acquire Adams — assuming the Raiders don’t help them out with the cost (and why would they?) — they’d need to free up some room both short- and long-term.

Adams’ cap hit is $14.74 million this year with a guaranteed salary of $6.03 million. Then in 2024 and beyond, Adams would cost even more. His current cap hits are $25.35 million in 2024 and $44.1 million in 2025 and 2026 according to OTC.

With all these factors in mind, you also have to wonder whether or not the Chiefs feel they need Adams to win another Super Bowl. After all, they took home the Lombardi Trophy in February with an under-the-radar group led by JuJu Smith-Schuster. This season, it’s a combination of Moore, Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and the emerging second-round pick (Rice) headlining the group.

Mahomes has proven he can get by so long as Kelce is on the field.

Yes, Kansas City’s offense struggled in Week 1, but it was without the superstar tight end. With him, this unit plays at a totally different level, but it all starts with the legendary QB-TE combo.

Chiefs Offense Is Hitting Its Stride Heading Into Week 4

Everyone always wants to connect the big names like Mahomes and Adams in these blockbuster deals, but the truth is that the Chiefs offense is just fine the way it is.

Sure, it got off to a slow start this season but after dropping 41 points against the Chicago Bears, one could make the argument that this unit has turned the corner heading into Week 4. Not to mention, this roster has a much stronger defensive identity than in years past.

If KC can put up another 20-plus points versus a tough New York Jets defense on the road, that will really help prove that a WR trade is much more unnecessary than a contingent of fans and analysts think.