Patrick Mahomes has a new No. 1 receiver.
The Kansas City Chiefs are finalizing a trade for Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, ESPN reported.
Hopkins has 15 catches for 173 yards this season for a Titans team that has won just one game and struggled at quarterback. Hopkins had a knee injury in training camp that didn't require surgery. He had 75 catches for 1,057 yards last season with Tennessee.
Hopkins is the third prominent receiver over the past eight days to be traded. Last week, the Las Vegas Raiders sent Davante Adams to the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns traded Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills. The Los Angeles Rams have also had trade discussions with teams for former Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp.
The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs have the best record in the NFL at 6-0 but have been in the market for a receiver to help quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Brown isn't expected to play in the regular season after having shoulder surgery last month for an injury he suffered in the preseason. Rice also isn't expected to play for the remainder of the season after having surgery two weeks ago to repair the posterolateral corner of his right knee. He was hurt during a victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Schuster missed Sunday's victory over the San Francisco 49ers because of a hamstring injury.
The Titans are sending one of their best players to the Chiefs, ahead of their upcoming game against the Lions.
The Detroit Lions are over 10-point favorites against the Tennessee Titans this week, and their road to victory may have just gotten even easier. As first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Titans are finalizing a trade to send All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs. At this point, the trade terms are not yet out.
UPDATE: It’s apparently costing the Chiefs a conditional fifth-round pick that could turn into a fourth-round pick, per Ian Rapoport.
It’s a nice break for the Lions, even though Hopkins (32) isn’t at the top of his game. The Titans’ passing attack has struggled mightily thanks to poor quarterback play from both Will Levis and Mason Rudolph. Removing their top option, though, isn’t likely to help improve the unit. Thus far this season, Hopkins only has 15 catches for 173 yards and a single touchdown. His average of 28.8 receiving yards per game this season is by far the worst production of his 12-year career, dropping far below his previous low (50.1).
That said, you’ll take whatever advantage you can get in the NFL. While the Titans do still have decent receivers, such as Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd, this remains one of the most ineffective passing attacks in football through seven weeks. The Titans rank 32nd in yards per attempt (4.2), last in passer rating (71.2), t-28th in interceptions (eight), and t-24th in touchdowns.
Hopkins’ Departure May Benefit the Lions
The Lions pass defense has had an up-and-down start to the season. While they’ve been aggressive on the ball, ranking t-third in pass deflections (36) and t-fifth in interceptions, they have also allowed the sixth-most passing yards per game (245.8).
The Kansas City Chiefs are trading a conditional fifth-round pick to the Tennessee Titans for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, putting another potential trade that the Pittsburgh Steelers could have made at wide receiver now off the market.
That pick could become a fourth-round pick, which the Steelers were unlikely to put on the table. In fact, they could not put it on the table, considering they have conditions that could turn their conditional sixth-round pick into a fourth-round pick in the Justin Fields trade.
There are still players out on the open market that could make sense for the Steelers. For one, there is the superstar potential to land Cooper Kupp. But even beyond that, New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton and New York Jets wide receiver Mike Williams remain options for the Steelers.
Slayton and Williams each would only cost a day three pick, while Kupp would cost a day two pick. However, it is up to the Steelers to decide how high they are willing to go to fix their wide receiver issues, but they need someone to come in and help the unit out.
Could Hopkins Be a Trade Target for the Buccaneers?
After the Tennessee Titans' loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Week 7 concluded with a Monday Night Football double-header. One of those games concluded with what was an absolutely gruesome injury and a situation where the Titans might come into play.
With just under a minute to go in the game on Monday night, between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens, wide receiver Chris Godwin hit the ground and was immediately in immense pain.
The live broadcast refused to show a replay but, if you had been paying close attention, you'd have noticed Godwin's ankle was blatantly broken. This will clearly end up putting an early close to Godwin's season, but the Bucs' problems don't stop there.
Wideout Mike Evans also left the game due to a hamstring injury and did not return. Suddenly, Tampa Bay is incredibly thin at the position. Veteran Sterling Shepard is joined by second-year pro Trey Palmer and rookie Jalen McMillan as the top three options in the group, while both Evans and Godwin are sidelined.
While Evans could be back this season, Godwin likely will not be. And, because the Bucs had looked like legitimate contenders in the NFC, replacing one of the league's leading receivers is now atop the priority list. Fortunately, there are still some other options out there folllowing big trades of Davante Adams and Amari Cooper.
The Titans are, of course, home to one of those options in DeAndre Hopkins.
Even dating back to last season, Hopkins has seemed to always find his name in trade rumors. While he's professed his love for Tennessee, we all know that he's better off elsewhere as the Titans try to figure out the direction they're going at quarterback.
Hopkins may not be what he once was, but he can still offer a team that solid veteran leadership and the ability to simply catch the football. His hands are still as good as anyone's and, although he's a bit more limited at the age of 32, Hopkins can be an effective WR2.
Being on the last year of his deal makes him more affordable for other teams, too, as just a one-year rental. That being said, I wouldn't anticipate the Titans getting more than a later Day 3 pick for him in return. If Tampa Bay were to somehow offer a fourth-round pick, that's an automatic "yes" on the Bucs' end.
It's more likely to be around a fifth-round selection or later, though.
Could we see Hopkins in Tampa Bay sooner or later? It's certainly possible.
