Patrick Mahomes may be the NFL’s most talented quarterback, but right now, he urgently needs support. Desperately. Emphatically. Immediately.
As the Kansas City Chiefs aim to make history by winning three consecutive Super Bowls, their only viable path is through a trade.
With the NFL’s trade deadline approaching on Election Day, Nov. 5 at 3 p.m. CT, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, head coach Andy Reid, and general manager Brett Veach need to act swiftly—perhaps even before you finish reading this.
Sure, the Chiefs remain the NFL’s only undefeated team, standing at 6-0 after a hard-fought victory over the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of Super Bowl LVIII. But unlike that dramatic comeback in Las Vegas, this win was more about grit than glamour.
Mahomes is currently without his top three wide receivers: newcomer Marquise Brown (left shoulder), rising star Rashee Rice (right knee), and JuJu Smith-Schuster (right hamstring), who rejoined the team in late August. To make matters worse, Smith-Schuster aggravated his hamstring in the first quarter on Sunday and sat out the remainder of the game. On Monday, Reid confirmed that Smith-Schuster has already been ruled out for their next matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
For the first time in his eight-year career, Patrick Mahomes has guided the Chiefs to a 6-0 start—a testament to his resilience and determination. But with key losses at wide receiver, the question looms: How much longer can Mahomes keep Kansas City’s passing game afloat?
Yes, the Chiefs can probably defeat the Raiders without making a trade. But as the competition in the AFC heats up and the weather cools down, it will only get tougher. Mahomes’ stats through six games are strangely uncharacteristic—just six touchdowns, a league-high eight interceptions, and an 82.5 passer rating, the lowest of his career as a starter.
Mahomes clearly needs more support. Among the healthy skill players, Mahomes places his trust primarily in tight ends Travis Kelce and Noah Gray. Gray, for the first time in his four-year career, led the Chiefs in receiving yards with 66 against the 49ers. The team’s top wide receiver on Sunday was rookie Xavier Worthy, who managed just three catches on eight targets for 19 yards.
PICK! Deommodore Lenoir gets the ball back for the @49ers!
— NFL (@NFL) October 20, 2024
📺: #KCvsSF on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/Nw0sHAw8cK
Mahomes delivered a heroic performance in the second half. He escaped pressure multiple times to avoid sacks, showed off his elite athleticism with a career-long 33-yard scramble down the sideline, and saved the Chiefs’ offense on a crucial fourth-and-goal by bulldozing rookie safety Malik Mustapha for a 1-yard touchdown.
Fans of rival teams must be echoing Jesse Pinkman’s line from Breaking Bad: “He can’t keep getting away with this!”
But the reality is, Mahomes can’t sustain this forever. We saw what happened in Super Bowl LV when Mahomes, trying to pull off magic behind a battered offensive line, couldn’t score a touchdown. The relentless pressure from the Buccaneers’ defense forced him to scramble constantly—totaling 497 yards running before throwing or being sacked, the most by any quarterback that season, per Next Gen Stats.
This time, Mahomes doesn’t need elite AFC defenses to force him into these dangerous plays and unnecessary hits. Without help, he’ll be under similar pressure.
If the Chiefs don’t make a trade soon, Mahomes will be working with a receiving corps of Xavier Worthy, Justin Watson, Mecole Hardman, and Skyy Moore, who have combined for just 27 catches, 343 yards, and two touchdowns. To put it in perspective, even left tackle Wanya Morris has better stats this season (one reception for a 1-yard touchdown) than Moore, who has yet to record a catch and has dropped two passes.
📂 Mahomes things pic.twitter.com/RBUfTKmOaa
— NFL (@NFL) October 20, 2024
The top trade option for the Chiefs seems to be Carolina Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson, who has racked up 30 receptions on 58 targets for 357 yards and three touchdowns this season. Standing at 5-foot-10 and 183 pounds, Johnson fits the mold of the speedy receiver Andy Reid loves. His ability to separate with precise routes, combined with his impending free agency at 28, means he’d be highly motivated to deliver big performances, especially in the postseason, to boost his next contract.
Another possibility is Darius Slayton of the New York Giants. With 25 catches on 40 targets for 312 yards and one touchdown, Slayton, 27, is an underrated receiver who averages 14.8 yards per catch.
Other potential trade targets include DeAndre Hopkins (Titans), Christian Kirk (Jaguars), Demarcus Robinson (Rams), Tutu Atwell (Rams), and Adam Thielen (Panthers).
Whoever the Chiefs identify as the best fit, they need to act fast. A 2025 third-round pick—similar to the compensation Buffalo paid for Amari Cooper or the Jets gave for Davante Adams—could seal the deal. The Chiefs have two such picks, including one acquired from the Titans in exchange for cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.
A trade will help the Chiefs offense be as potent as possible ahead of the postseason and increase the margin of error for Mahomes.
Two years ago, the Chiefs made a trade with the Giants for receiver Kadarius Toney. While the move wasn’t a game-changer, Toney contributed significantly to the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVII win, delivering a 50-yard punt return—the longest in Super Bowl history—and scoring a touchdown. Last season, the Chiefs made a modest deadline trade with the Jets for Mecole Hardman, who later scored the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl LVIII.
After his first year with the team, Toney praised Andy Reid as the smartest coach in the league, adding, “I’m surrounded by the MVP (Mahomes) and the top tight end (Kelce) in the league.”
The Chiefs don’t need a superstar receiver. Mahomes has already shown he can win championships without one. What he does need, however, is a motivated, reliable receiver to help push the team toward an unprecedented third straight Super Bowls
First there was Wasp, now there's Corn Dog. 🌭
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) February 16, 2023
Andy Reid dialed up a wide open Kadarius Toney. @0fficialC2N pic.twitter.com/0U9EjmCdzl
(Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
