Let’s Argue: The Chiefs should go after DeAndre Hopkins

Welcome to this week’s edition of Let’s Argue!

Let’s Argue is a returning weekly series that looks at hot takes, unpopular opinions, wacky predictions and more from Kansas City Chiefs fans.

The Chiefs should go after DeAndre Hopkins.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire — the question is, how much of the smoke is real?

We all know the story of the general manager Brett Veach trading away All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. At the time, many fans and media members alike were questioning how the Kansas City Chiefs offense would function without the most dynamic weapon in football.

The Chiefs only had the top-ranked offense in the league, led by AP NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes. I would say they did pretty well without having a true No. 1 receiver.

It would be a disservice not to mention tight end Travis Kelce, who is like an all-world receiver.

The future Pro Football Hall of Famer finished the season with 110 catches, 1,338 yards and 12 touchdowns. That said, we must remember Kelce will be turning 34 in October. While I still expect him to play at a high level, it would be nice to take some pressure off him.

This is where Hopkins comes into play. According to Spotrac, whoever trades for Hopkins would be absorbing cap hits of $19.45 million and $14.915 million over the next two seasons if he doesn’t want a bigger bag.

Those numbers for a player of his caliber are more than manageable. He will turn 31 this summer, but when he’s on the field, you’re still looking at a top-10 receiver in football.

Stay tuned.

The Chiefs should move on from JuJu Smith-Schuster.

If Veach does end up trading for Hopkins, Smith-Schuster won’t be on this roster next season. Juju has accepted team-friendly one-year deals for the past two years.

After being a key contributor on a Super Bowl-winning team, it wouldn’t shock me if Juju ended up leaving for a bigger contract with more security. Also, looking at the wide receiver free agent market, you could make the case that Smith-Schuster is the best one available.

Having said that, it shouldn’t be surprising to see one of these desperate teams offer more than the Chiefs. I’m looking at the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers.

2023 will be second-year wideout Skyy Moore’s year.

As you can see, I wanted to talk about wide receivers today.

I’ve been one of the biggest advocates for Moore despite all the criticism. If you look at his raw rookie numbers, there is not much to get excited about. However, if you look at his traits, they translate on this level.

For a young receiver, Moore has one of the best releases I’ve seen, and when you couple that with his big hands and yards-after-catch ability, he has all the makings of being a special player. It all comes down to opportunity.

Remember the Los Angeles Chargers game at SoFi Stadium?

The receiver room didn’t have Kadarius Toney or Smith-Schuster, which forced Moore into a more significant role. He finished that game with five catches for 63 yards. Year two for Moore will be something to behold.

Why not look into trading cornerback L’Jaruis Sneed?

This is the reality when you draft as well as Veach does. Sure, you have your guys on very cheap rookie deals for a few years, but these guys are looking to be paid when that time is up.

Unfortunately, you can’t pay everybody.

The secondary had three rookies playing significant snaps, and now, they’re Super Bowl champions. The argument here is that the Chiefs have shown they can draft well in the secondary, which could make Sneed expendable.

I totally understand the argument, but what are you getting back for Sneed?

Perhaps a third-round pick? That’s not worth it when Sneed is your most versatile corner.

I would keep him around next season as you hunt to repeat, and if need be, just let him walk in free agency next offseason. I understand that’s not ideal, but you probably won’t repeat as Super Bowl champions without him in the fold.