Another year, another free agency period full of speculation, rumors, hypotheticals, and theories for the Chiefs and what General Manager Brett Veach and company are planning. Truth is, none of us know for sure, and that's the beauty of it all, but it's fun to speculate and imagine what this team could look like come September. We've heard plenty of rumors and potential moves, yet the only thing we can point to as of know is the Jawaan Taylor signing and Andrew Wylie moving onto the Commanders. A lot of people think it's too little, I personally think that it's too early to call it that, and I also think even if the Chiefs were to leave things as they were until draft day the team will still be a contender next year. Let's talk about the moves though that have been talked about and see which ones seem most worthy of being a Veach-served dish.
DeAndre Hopkins
This one is perhaps the most talked about one. The Cardinals and DeAndre Hopkins are actively seeking a trade deal that will send him elsewhere, and the Chiefs are up there as a potential fit. The Cardinals are asking for at least a 2nd round pick and another player in exchange. Many point to potentially trading a 2nd round pick and Clyde Edwards-Helaire to the Cardinals for DHop, however let's look at the Cardinals' running game. You have James Conner, Darrel Williams (Old Friend Alert), Corey Clement, and Keaontay Ingram. The unit had 122.12 rushing yards per game on an average of 29.18 attempts, about 4.2 yards per attempt, and 15 rushing touchdowns. 1873 yards in total. They're certainly not struggling, and with how young this unit is they probably won't struggle for a while if the unit stays together and stays healthy. Adding CEH to this unit would only give CEH LESS of a chance to flourish than if he were to stay with the Chiefs. More than likely he will go to a team that is running back needy, and the Cardinals are not that team. I can see a different deal (A 2nd rounder, a 4th rounder, and a couple future picks is what I saw, you must not know Veach very well if you're suggesting that.) but overall I find this move to be unlikely to happen. He's the best receiver on the market and there's plenty of other likely teams. Sorry guys, I know it would be exciting to give Mahomes a Top 10 receiver. It's not like we've seen it before or anything... Verdict: Unlikely, but fun to imagine.
Laremy Tunsil
The Chiefs signed Jawaan Taylor to, in all likelihood, play left tackle. With an Orlando Brown, Jr. deal unlikely this is probably going to be the move, UNLESS the Chiefs can get a true left tackle either in free agency or in the draft. You're more than likely not going to find a starting quality left tackle in the draft unless you're picking high (Which is a possibility if the Chiefs trade up), so that really leaves free agency as the lone option if the Chiefs want an immediate answer. Enter Laremy Tunsil. Tunsil with his time at the Texans was one of the lone bright spots on an abjectly terrible team. He regularly ranks among the highest graded left tackles in the league and has proven himself. I like this pickup if the Chiefs can make it work, but that's the key. IF they can make it work, and with a $35.2 million cap hit, the asking price will be high. I still think this has more potential than the DHop trade, but it will take some #VeachBlackMagic to make this happen. Mind you, the Bears have also inquired about Tunsil, a team with a LOT more cap room and current money than the Chiefs. If it comes down to it, the Bears will win the spending war, which is why if the Chiefs want to make this happen they need to move quickly. If it does happen, the Chiefs could very well have one of the best, if not THE best, O-lines in the league. Verdict: Big if true, even bigger if Veach can make it happen. Don't count it out...
Zadarius Smith
For all we know, Zadarius Smith may very well not be out of Minnesota after all. Minnesota has seemed skittish on letting him walk and I'm sure are in the lab trying to get a deal done, but given the fact that he's stated he wants out and has been on a streak on social media liking Chiefs' tweets and expressing that interest, smoke could turn into fire here. He's been on the Chiefs' radar before, last year the Chiefs landed just outside the sweepstakes for Smith losing out on him to the aforementioned Vikings. If a deal does not get done with the Vikings, he could very well be a Chief I think. With the departure of Frank Clark, the team could use another solid pass rusher, and Smith is just that. The deal probably won't even be that wallet-busting, Smith is getting up there in age but still has a good year or two in him at least. I'd like to think of this as a Carlos Dunlap-esque situation, sign a seasoned veteran and pick up an early round talent in the draft to be an understudy/rotational guy. The thing that has to happen first though is the Vikings have to be willing to either A. Let Smith walk, or B. Listen to trade deals. Both seem a bit unlikely at this point, but we'll see where we are at when the week progresses. Shoot, we can also see what the draft holds, this one is probably the most up in the air one out of the three I will mention here. I've seen a Thielen/Smith package floating around the interwebs that looked fun, mind you Adam Thielen is also a potential Chiefs target. At this point though, I wouldn't count on the Vikings wanting to let go of a precious asset such as Smith just yet. With the right offer though and some #VeachBlackMagic...it could be possible. Verdict: Trading for Zadarius could end up being precarious, but Veach could whip up a 5-star dish...
There are still a few other different items that will be garnering Veach's attention both in-house and out this free agency period. Chris Jones still needs to be extended, I'd like to see Khalen Saunders come back, and a potential Patrick Mahomes contract restructuring could be on the horizon to free up more cap space to make not just one, but multiple marquee moves. Rumor has it that receivers from across the NFL are "blowing up" Mahomes's phone wanting to play for the Chiefs, and I'm sure both Veach and Mahomes are intrigued by some of these names, albeit it's quite a weak receiver free agency class. Solve the pressing in-house issues first though I think, then the Chiefs can worry about dropping a bomb in free agency. A friendly reminder that rumors are just that. Rumors, and that Chiefs Kingdom should trust in their guy that has now brought teams that have won two Super Bowls, getting to three, have won 3 AFC Titles while getting to 5 in the past 5 years, and have shown that they are the new big, bad bully of the NFL. Relish in it folks, #VeachBlackMagic and #MahomesMagic at that, are far from done.
Burn Notice: 9/10 Simmering stove, not quite hot, but getting there...
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