With the NFL trade deadline set for Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. ET, the clock is ticking for teams to make one last move before the market shuts down for the season. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell used Thursday’s feature to sketch out possible deals for contenders, and the Chiefs landed right in the middle of the conversation.
Kansas City is sitting at 5-2, still very much in the mix despite a recent loss, and Barnwell sees a clear way for the team to give Patrick Mahomes another weapon on the outside. The idea is simple: add a receiver who can stretch defenses and make life easier for the quarterback.
Barnwell points first to Brian Thomas Jr., calling him a “dream addition for the Chiefs at wide receiver.” He also notes the obvious obstacle: the Jaguars probably won’t send him to “their rivals in the AFC.”
That’s where another name enters the picture. Barnwell raises the possibility of George Pickens, asking, “Would the 3-5 Cowboys consider trading George Pickens, who is a free agent after the season and unlikely to be back on a long-term deal?”
He adds that Pickens “would probably be a short-term fix for Kansas City, but it doesn’t have anyone who can win on the outside like him. Dallas might be willing to move forward with CeeDee Lamb and Ryan Flournoy at wide receiver and play more 12 or 21 personnel.”
Barnwell also points out the draft compensation angle, writing, “If the Chiefs play free agency right, they should be able to land a fourth- or fifth-round pick for Pickens as a compensatory selection next offseason.”
However it plays out, the message is the same: Kansas City could still use more firepower at receiver, and another playmaker would only make Mahomes more dangerous.
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