NFL Rumors: Star Previously Targeted By Patriots Traded To Chiefs

Another week, another star wide receiver traded within the AFC.

Last week, Davante Adams was moved by the Las Vegas Raiders to the New York Jets. And on Wednesday morning, fellow veteran pass-catcher DeAndre Hopkins was traded by the struggling Tennessee Titans to the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport followed up with details of the reported trade, revealing the Titans will acquire a fifth-round draft pick that can turn into a fouth-rounder in exchange for the five-time Pro Bowl selection.

The deal signaled the end of a Tennessee tenure for Hopkins, who signed a two-year, $26 million deal with the organization last year. The 32-year-old was a coveted asset on the open market, including by the wide receiver-needy Patriots. Hopkins even took a free agency meeting in New England in June 2023, but New England’s reported offer “wasn’t in the same ballpark” as Tennessee’s.

Hopkins, who caught 75 passes for 1,057 yards with seven touchdowns with the Titans last season, is set to join a Chiefs team that’s had its receiver group ravaged by injuries. Rashee Rice, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown all currently are unavailable to Kansas City, the NFL’s only undefeated team entering Week 8.

And with all-world quarterback Patrick Mahomes now throwing him the football, Hopkins has arguably the best opportunity of his storied career to win his first Super Bowl.