The Kansas City Chiefs remain strong candidates to make an early move or two via the trade market despite addressing major deficiencies in both free agency and the NFL draft by adding players like running back Kenneth Walker III and rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane.
Kansas City’s roster was more than a little porous heading into this offseason, and for all their meaningful acquisitions, a couple serious shortcomings remain — with wide receiver perhaps chief among them. As such, Jarrett Bailey of SB Nation predicted on Wednesday, July 22 that the franchise will make an aggressive mid-season trade for Michael Wilson of the Arizona Cardinals.
Bailey’s detailed projection includes a belief that Kanas City jumps out to a fast start with two wins over their top AFC West Division rivals early in the campaign.
“After sweeping the [Denver] Broncos, the Chiefs are 6-1 and looking to add another offensive weapon to put them over the top in the AFC,” Bailey wrote. “They send a fourth-round pick to the Cardinals in exchange for Wilson, who is coming off a 1,000-yard season in 2025.”
Michael Wilson Could Provide Chiefs Strong Trade Value
GettyWide receiver Michael Wilson of the Arizona Cardinals.
Wilson isn’t a name with which the casual NFL fan is likely to be overly familiar, given he broke out in 2025 as a top pass-catcher on a 3-14 team in Arizona. But in 17 games played, which included 13 starts, Wilson hauled in 78 catches for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns.
He profiles as a reasonable trade candidate for a couple reasons. The Cardinals are trying to be as bad as possible in 2026 so they can finish near the top of the draft again and put themselves in play for Arch Manning or one of the other several college QBs generating strong NFL buzz.
Another good season Wilson just means the price tag on his second contract in 2027 will go up, and that the Cardinals’ offense might be better than is ideal for the franchise.
Arizona would get a compensatory pick from the league in exchange for Wilson if they keep him all season and he leaves via free agency in March, but the team might be able to get a better asset by trading Wilson in the coming weeks/months.
Chiefs Lack Depth, Blocking in Wide Receiver Room
GettyKansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy.
Wilson, a third-round pick out of Stanford, has strong value to a team like the Chiefs with one year remaining on his rookie contract and a base salary of just $3.9 million in 2026.
Kansas City would face a decision next offseason on whether to extend Wilson following his age-26 campaign. But with another draft approaching and a new crop of free agents on the market, the Chiefs would have options and therefore wouldn’t be locked into Wilson longterm.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is tracking for a return by Week 1, and both Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice bring major questions with them into their third and fourth NFL campaigns, respectively.
Wilson’s skill set and usage overlap some with Worthy, which might render him a somewhat redundant fit. That said, injuries have been such an issue for the Chiefs’ wide receiver room that their primary concern should be adding talent and depth wherever they can find it, particularly if they can do so at good value.
Beyond that, Wilson is a solid blocker for the position, which is something Kansas City is short on heading into training camp at the end of this month.
Chiefs Predicted to Trade for Breakout 1,000-Yard WR