It seemed like everyone across the NFL was shocked when on Wednesday the Kansas City Chiefs traded their top wide receiver, Tyreek Hill, to the Miami Dolphins for a large package of draft picks.
Although Hill had one year left on his contract, he and management reportedly couldn’t agree to a contract extension.
Now, a team that recently went to back-to-back Super Bowls, winning one, will have to move on without a man who has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last six seasons and has been named to the All-Pro First-Team three times.
One would think that the Chiefs would be doomed without him, but they still have plenty to be hopeful about in terms of being competitive.
3. They Still Have Patrick Mahomes
Let’s start with the most obvious reason.
The Chiefs still have a man who has been considered arguably the best QB in the game the last few seasons.
Patrick Mahomes is the owner of a regular season MVP, Super Bowl MVP, four Pro Bowl selections, one All-Pro First-Team nod and a world championship ring.
He is also just 26 years of age, which means, barring injury, he could have at least a decade of elite play left in his body.
This past season was perceived as an “off” year for him, as the Chiefs got off to a bad start and it seemed that teams were figuring him out to a certain extent.
But he still threw for 4,839 yards and 37 touchdowns.
His passer rating was “only” 98.5, compared to 108.2 the year before, but his play seemed to improve down the stretch when Kansas City went on a seven-game winning streak.
Having a great QB seems to be at least half the battle in the NFL, and in Mahomes, the Chiefs have arguably the best.
2. They Have A Couple Of Other Capable Receivers
Even at 32 years of age, the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce is still arguably the league’s best tight end.
He put up 1,125 yards and nine touchdowns in 2021, earning him his seventh consecutive Pro Bowl selection, and he is still a big, reliable target in the red zone.
One of Travis Kelce's red zone catches was a touchdown against the #Bengals in Week 17🔥 pic.twitter.com/YpcF8Z1ccQ
— PlayerProfiler (@rotounderworld) January 25, 2022
With Hill gone, one would surely think that Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid will feature Kelce a little more in the Chiefs’ offense this coming season.
Kansas City also acquired JuJu Smith-Schuster on a one-year deal.
While he isn’t on Hill’s level, he is a capable wideout who had 1,426 receiving yards in 2018.
His signing is regarded as a low-risk, medium-reward move, given that he is coming off a season-ending shoulder injury.
1. Kansas City Has A Portfolio Of Draft Picks After Trading Hill
In return for Hill, the Chiefs reportedly got five draft picks from the Dolphins, including a first-round, second-round and fourth-round pick in next month’s NFL Draft.
Experts say that this year’s draft class is loaded with promising wide receivers, and apparently, the Chiefs will look to use at least one of their draft picks on a wideout.
If and when the Chiefs trade Tyreek Hill, KC’s wide receivers would include JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman, Josh Gordon, Justin Watson, Cornell Powell, Dieter Gehrig and Corey Coleman.
The team still would expected to add wide receivers in free agency and the draft.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 23, 2022
If they do so, and one of them turns out to be a suitable replacement for Hill, it would come at a much lower than him, as he signed a $120 million, four-year deal with the Dolphins.
NEXT: Patrick Mahomes Shows Off His Power In Workout Video
