The Kansas City Chiefs are prime candidates to trade for a wide receiver, though it could result in the team parting ways with Xavier Worthy for their desired target.
Ben Solak of ESPN on Tuesday, October 27 authored a trade pitch that sees the Chiefs send Worthy and a seventh-round draft pick in 2027 to the New Orleans Saints in return for Devaughn Vele and a sixth-rounder next year.
“Vele is an entirely unexciting target, but he is also basically what the Chiefs need. He’s a big-bodied receiver who can take a ton of contact and endure 10-plus-target games,” Solak wrote. “He also makes good catches away from his frame and provides red zone value, something the Chiefs’ worryingly undersized receiver room has always failed to bring. With Jordyn Tyson coming back from a hamstring injury at some point and the Saints’ season on life support, New Orleans can take the gamble on rehabilitating Worthy.”
Devaughn Vele More Suitable Wide Receiver for Chiefs Offense Than Xavier Worthy
Vele has 33 catches for 348 yards and three touchdowns this season, all of which outpace what Worthy has accomplished in 2026.
Worthy was a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft, but he has fallen far short of living up to that draft status based on his lack of availability due to health concerns and his issues with drops. The team also selected him to be a speedy deep threat, and while fast, Worthy has not proven capable of taking the top off of opposing defenses.
The loss of Tyquan Thornton in Kansas City has resulted in opponents closing ranks and pressuring the line of scrimmage more frequently, which specifically hurt the Chiefs against the Seattle Seahawks in their first loss of the season last week. During that game, Worthy was responsible for a critical drop that left quarterback Patrick Mahomes visibly upset.
Xavier Worthy not Longterm Answer for Chiefs
Kansas City holds a fifth-year option on Worthy, which it can exercise ahead of May 2027, but his lack of reliability and production renders that an unlikely proposition.
The Chiefs need a playmaker now, and based on Solak’s proposal, they can get one without sacrificing significant draft capital.
That kind of deal would keep open the opportunity to add a player like Jauan Jennings of the Minnesota vikings for a Day 3 draft pick. Jennings is a large possession wide receiver who can help the Chiefs in third-down and goal-line situations, while also providing needed blocking from the position on the edge and help running back Kenneth Walker III produce more explosive plays in the run game.
Kansas City is likely to make at least one move at wide receiver ahead of the November 10 trade deadline, and Vele makes considerable sense, even if he isn’t the splashiest option available.
Chiefs Trade Pitch Flips Xavier Worthy for Breakout NFC WR