DeAndre Hopkins gave the Kansas City Chiefs specifically what they had hoped for on Monday evening when they traded the ex-Tennessee Titans Pro Bowler on October 23. The Chiefs ‘ victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in time keeps their unbeaten streak to eight with 86 yards and two touchdowns.
In the last few days, three of the four groups with the best Super Bowl conflict entered a trade for a wide receiver. The Baltimore Ravens added Diontae Johnson and the Buffalo Bills acquired Amari Cooper.
On the day of the business deadline, there were two more mergers: Mike Williams to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jonathan Mingo to the Dallas Cowboys in addition to the package for Davante Adams that the New York Jets signed for Davante Adams in October. The six broad receiver trades made in the 2024 time were the most of any time this decade, according to Spotrac.
The most exchanged people during the regular season are wide receivers. 31 receivers have been dealt with after the kickoff of Week 1, nearly twice as many as defensive ends ( 22 ), cornerbacks ( 19 ), and linebackers ( 19 ), and nearly as many as all other offensive players combined ( 38 ).
Pass keepers are acquired in more than half of the most significant acquisitions. Ten of the 29 in-season deals since 2015 in which a second, minute or third-round find was exchanged were for wide receivers.
Two of this year’s investments suit that criteria, as Cooper and Adams both cost their new team at least a third-rounder. Wide receiver deals during the time are so common that this was n’t even Cooper’s first—he was even dealt to the Dallas Cowboys for a first-rounder in Oct. 2018.
Generally, these deals have not been big wins for the groups landing the broad outs. Only two of the 15 groups that traded for a previous Pro Bowl wide receiver in the offseason have won the Super Bowl with him in the century.
The first was the 2019 San Francisco 49ers, who got 10 regular-season game out of Emmanuel Sanders en route to a Super Bowl before losing him in the winter. The 2023 Chiefs, who returned Mecole Hardman to Kansas City after a short stint with the Jets, were the next team. Although Hardman did not typically make a significant contribution to the group’s offence in Super Bowl 58, he did score the winning score.
Many other expansions of wide receivers ended up being one-year accommodations that failed. The Houston Texans traded two picks for Demaryius Thomas in 2018, and the Philadelphia Eagles traded a third-round pull for Golden Tate earlier in the year. They lost in the first and second round of the quarterfinals, both, and their innovative people were gone the next year.
Calvin Ridley, who was selected in the second round of the 2022 draft, just completed his only year with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Chicago Bears also gave up a second large find that time for Chase Claypool, who had only played ten game for the team.
Come back far enough, yet, and there are some success stories. For instance, the New York Jets added Braylon Edwards in 2009 to give them a fresh quarterback’s arsenal and allowed them to win back-to-back AFC Championship game.
Given the importance of science with the player and the complexity of learning a new playbook, it’s interesting that wide transmitters are the hottest product for contending groups looking to improve their rosters throughout the period. It’s hardly surprising, yet, given the demand for the placement that’s obvious from recent contract values. Since 2014, the indicate salary for the 10 highest-paid wide devices has grown 160 %, more than any other place in sports other than player, while the income cover has not even doubled.
What better way to make the player happy than to take him on a new toy to play with if he is the team’s most critical player?