The Kansas City Chiefs climbed to 4-0 this season, but their latest win came at a big cost. Rashee Rice is feared to have torn his ACL, ending his season.
Rice was trending up, proving that he could build on his production last year. However, with the Rice story coming to an end this season, the Chiefs are stuck with a young, underdeveloped wide receiver room.
Here’s a look at three veteran receivers who could be a solid placeholder for the Chiefs for the rest of the season.
Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are 1-3 and could be looking to prepare for 2025 in a couple of weeks. As such, with Kupp now on the plus side of 30, the first step toward rebuilding the offense would be to move the receiver. The Chiefs need someone as soon as possible while the Rams could be looking to stock up so they can get someone later in the 2025 NFL Draft. He is currently battling injury, but should be healthy in the next few weeks, making him available to play when it comes time to trade.
Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
This is a bit of a hot take, but the Dolphins might be without Tua Tagovailoa for the rest of the season. Even if they do get him back in a few weeks, it might be too late. Hill has already battled injury this season and next year, he will be 31 years old. No receiver is guaranteed anything post-30, so the Dolphins may wish to move on and rebuild their offense, starting with their receiving core.
Hill is already plenty familiar with the Chiefs and with the Chiefs in a win-now mode, most likely will be willing to part with a bit more draft capital to get it done. If the Dolphins don’t expect to make the playoffs, sending Hill back to the Chiefs wouldn’t hurt them. The two teams don’t have any matchups this year, so the trade might hurt the rest of the AFC, but not the Dolphins.
Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are 1-3 and have two receivers in line for a breakout deal. Already in fourth place in the AFC North, they have little to lose if they look up in a couple of games at 1-5. They have already played the Chiefs, so sending them a wide receiver wouldn’t hurt them this year. The Bengals are hesitant to pay Higgins, considering his current franchise tag. As such, getting some draft capital from him makes sense. Plus, if they don’t believe in him long-term, why not saddle their biggest rival outside of their division?
Of course, the Chiefs would likely believe they could elevate Higgins to a new level with Andy Reid. It would be a contentious deal, but could be a win-win, at least this season.
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