Chiefs Trade Pitch Lands $25 Million All-Pro WR Amid New JuJu Smith-Schuster Injury

The Kansas City Chiefs watched as two AFC teams, the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets added elite wide receivers to their rosters this week. Josh Allen will team up with Amari Cooper and Aaron Rodgers will reunite with his former teammate Davante Adams.

On Thursday, the Chiefs revealed they have another concerning injury at the position. Kansas City was already expected to shop for help at receiver before the trade deadline as Rashee Rice (knee) and Marquise Brown (shoulder) are set to miss at least months due to their injuries.

Per Pete Sweeney of Arrowhead Pride, the Chiefs listed JuJu Smith-Schuster as a limited participant at Thursday’s practice due to a hamstring injury.

“The injury report for the Chiefs is the same as yesterday, exceptfor the addition of WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was limited on Thursday due to a hamstring issue,” Sweeney posted on X. “Never a good sign to see a player pop up midweek. We’ll see what his final status is on Friday afternoon.”

The injury report for the #Chiefs is the same as yesterday, except for the addition of WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was limited on Thursday due to a hamstring issue.

Never a good sign to see a player pop up midweek. We’ll see what his final status is on Friday afternoon.

One potential wide receiver the Chiefs could trade for is a player who wanted to sign with the team previously. Veteran pass catcher Adam Thielen admitted this summer that he wanted to join Kansas City in the 2023 offseason before signing a three-year deal worth $25 million with the Carolina Panthers.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter suggested in September that the Panthers might be willing to part ways with Diontae Johnson or Adam Thielen to “do right by” the players if their season went south by the trade deadline.

Entering their Week 7 matchup on the road against the Washington Commanders, the Panthers are 1-5. Veteran Andy Dalton has played the quarterback position better than benched second-year signal-caller Bryce Young, but Thielen isn’t seeing much production on the losing team.

Thielen, a former undrafted free agent turned star for the Minnesota Vikings, has just eight receptions for 109 yards and one touchdown in six games. The two-time Pro Bowler and 2017 second-team All-Pro recorded 1,014 yards receiving in 2023, so even at 34, he has plenty of gas left in the tank to help the Chiefs make a Super Bowl run.

Thielen would likely be a cap-cut casualty before free agency in March, so the Chiefs should consider not giving up more than a late Day 3 pick for the aging receiver.