The Kansas City Chiefs brought reinforcements in ahead of the trade deadline, as they reinforced their ailing wide receiver corps by swinging a deal with the Indianapolis Colts for wide receiver Josh Downs. In the weeks leading up to the deadline, the Chiefs hadn’t been shy in expressing their desire to add another wide receiver, and they got one of the top names available in Downs.
While there’s no doubt that Downs will help improve Kansas City’s offense, the timing of this deal (which was finalized right before the deadline) indicates that he was not the team’s top trade target. Sure enough, a new report indicates that the Chiefs initially tried to see if the New York Jets were willing to move on from Garrett Wilson before they locked in on Downs.
Chiefs Tried to Make a Trade with the Jets for Garrett Wilson
Kansas City once again has Super Bowl hopes, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that it was looking to make moves ahead of the deadline. Downs isn’t necessarily the flashiest wide receiver in the league, but he’s a shifty route runner who is skilled at creating separation on short-to-intermediate routes. Through nine games with the Colts, Downs caught 33 passes for 354 yards and one touchdown.
The Chiefs unsurprisingly aimed bigger before settling on Downs, though. The team was heavily linked to Brian Thomas Jr., but the Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t seem totally willing to give him to one of their top rivals in the AFC. The name that many teams wanted was Wilson, but the Jets never showed any tangible interest in dealing him.
An established No. 1 wide receiver, Wilson obviously would have been a huge get for the Chiefs, as he continues to struggle to consistently put up big numbers in New York’s sluggish offense. Before finding its way to Downs, Kansas City checked in on Wilson, but it was quickly rebuffed in what can only be described as an unsurprising development.
“A trade never was a realistic possibility even though the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers were interested,” Rich Cimini of ESPN reported. “Wilson didn’t want to leave, and the Jets didn’t want to deal arguably their best player. Under contract through 2030, he’s viewed as a foundational piece.”
Will the Chiefs Regret Being Unable to Trade for Garrett Wilson?
Wilson is already a top-tier wide receiver, but it’s tough to know what he’s truly capable of because he has never really managed to play in a competent offense. This is probably the most consistent passing attack Wilson has played in, but even then, catching passes from Geno Smith isn’t really anything to write home about. With that being said, Wilson has still managed to catch 43 passes for 527 yards and three touchdowns this year.
None of this is meant to take away from Downs, as his skill set should immediately help open things up for Kansas City in the air. However, it’s clear that Wilson is the type of game-breaking addition that could have added a completely different element to the Chiefs’ offense. The opportunity to land Wilson was never really there, but if K.C. doesn’t achieve its championship goals, this failed pursuit could come back to sting just a little bit more than it already does.
Chiefs Reportedly Missed Out on Top WR Trade Target Before Landing Josh Downs