The Kansas City Chiefs are not necessarily going to trade for a wide receiver in the next four and a half weeks, but they are among the strongest potential buyers ahead of the NFL trade deadline and are already interested in adding wideout Tyreek Hill amid multiple injuries to the position group.
Kansas City is one of three undefeated teams in the league through Week 4 and currently in the bye. Deep threat Tyquan Thornton is out at least a few months after dislocating his ankle, while Rashee Rice strained his hamstring and could miss action even without a game scheduled for the Chiefs this weekend.
The Chiefs’ interest in Hill, and vice versa, are public facts at this point. But Hill hasn’t played in a calendar year and may not be available until November as he rehabs from a gruesome injury last season. If and when Hill does return to action, assuming he does it in Kansas City, there is no guarantee he will meaningfully improve the Chiefs’ offense.
So the team is left with a handful of options ahead of the trade deadline, who Dan Graziano of ESPN went over on Wednesday, October 7.
“Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Chiefs could use another wide receiver. I’m not buying that Tyreek Hill is much of an upgrade over what they have at this point in his career,” Graziano wrote. “If players such as Marvin Harrison Jr., Brian Thomas Jr., Jerry Jeudy or Calvin Ridley become available, the Chiefs should poke around.”
The name of greatest interest in that group is perhaps Marvin Harrison Jr. of the Arizona Cardinals, who made comments on Thursday about a potential trade that appear to contradict a major decision of his just two weeks earlier.
Marvin Harrison Jr. Likely More in Tune With Trade Possibility Than He’s Willing to Admit
Josh WeinfussStephen Holder of ESPN wrote an article Thursday in which Harrison brushed off the idea of a trade as no big deal one way or the other.
“Truthfully, I pay it no mind,” Harrison said, according to the report. “I’m only focused on Detroit, helping the Cardinals win football games at the moment. So whatever rumors you’re talking about, I don’t pay it no mind.”
However, in the same report, Weinfuss and Holder noted that the wideout hired a pair of agents on September 23. The timing of that decision is curious for multiple reasons, which Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk contextualized on Thursday night.
“Harrison — who previously represented himself — has hired Todd France and Tory Dandy of Athletes First,” Florio wrote. “Because Harrison has yet to complete his third regular season, there’s no immediate contractual reason to have representation. He won’t be eligible for a second deal until the current campaign ends.
“And so it’s reasonable to think that Harrison made the move to have representation in place as he navigates the possibility of landing with a new team before the trade window closes on the Tuesday after Week 9.”
Marvin Harrison Jr. Little More Than Afterthought in Cardinals’ Offense
Harrison is in the third season of his four-year, $35.4 million rookie deal. He is a former first-round pick (No. 4 overall out of Ohio State in 2024) and just recently turned 24 years old.
And while all signs pointed to Harrison being the next big thing at WR, he has consistently failed to live up to expectations, let alone impress by achieving beyond them.
Harrison had 62 catches for 885 yards and eight TDs as a rookie. He made 41 grabs for 608 yards and four scores across 12 games played last season. This year, he has a total of five receptions for 85 yards and one touchdown through four games and is nowhere near the top of the target list.
He needs a new home. He doesn’t fit Arizona’s timeline. And so a trade is a viable possibility.
Any team that deals for Harrison should be able to buy relatively low, at least comparative to his draft position. The Chiefs need help at the WR position both this year and moving forward. The match with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid could be exactly what Harrison needs, as it appears he is sweating the idea that his career might require a restart in a new and better location.
Chiefs’ $35 Million WR Trade Target Makes Telling Move Ahead of Deadline