Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes are finally getting the help they needed at wide receiver. On Wednesday, NFL media reported that the Kansas City Chiefs are landing star wideout DeAndre Hopkins in a blockbuster trade with the Tennessee Titans.
The 32-year-old boosts an injury-marred WR room in Kansas City, who have lost Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, Rashee Rice, and JuJu Smith-Schuster to serious injuries early in the 2024 NFL season.
But while Hopkins represents a significant upgrade to the Chiefs‘ offense, many are wondering how long it will take for him to get in sync with Mahomes and the rest of the unit.
According to the quarterback, the first thing will be to have Hopkins and the coaches on the same page. Mahomes made this clear when asked about hypothetically getting a new player up to speed during a press conference on Wednesday.
DeAndre Hopkins during a game with the Tennessee Titans.
“The biggest thing is just getting with the coaches. Our coaches do a good job of getting guys up to speed and getting them ready. Me as a quarterback, I just try to be on the same page,” Mahomes said, via Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports.
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The terms of Hopkins’ trade to Chiefs
While Mahomes talked about a new arrival in hypothetical terms, Reid opted not to make comments on Hopkins’ imminent trade as the terms of the agreement were yet to be defined before Wednesday’s media availability.
But only minutes later, NFL insider Tom Pelissero disclosed the final conditions of the trade. The Titans are getting a 2025 fifth-round pick, which becomes a fourth rounder if the Chiefs reach the Super Bowl with Hopkins playing 60% of the snaps.
On top of that, Tennessee is reportedly eating $2.5m of Hopkins’ salary, which is a huge relief for Kansas City, who will have the wideout for just $3.2m for the remainder of the 2024 NFL season.
Reid, Mahomes’ options at WR on the Chiefs
Getting a weapon of Hopkins’ caliber on these terms is fantastic for the Chiefs, who had missed out on other potential targets to help Reid and Mahomes. Now, their healthy wide receivers are Hopkins, Xavier Worthy, Justin Watson, Mecole Hardman, and Skyy Moore.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs talks with head coach Andy Reid before the NFL game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on November 22, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Chiefs defeated the Raiders 35-31.
While Rice is expected to miss significant time with a knee injury, Smith-Schuster’s return date remains unclear. Brown doesn’t have a specific timeline either, but Reid suggested the free agency acquisition is giving promising signs.
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“He’s doing great,” Reid said of Brown. “That, I can tell you, he’s doing great. Seems to be on schedule or a little bit ahead of schedule. I can’t tell you, I don’t know that [timeline]. It’s going to be a while, but he’s a relentless worker. I can tell you that much, and I can tell you he’s doing very well for what he’s got there.”
