NFL rumors: Teams expected to see if Chiefs will trade underused player
By Josh Wilson
The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to receive some calls from around the league on one of their offensive players. Should they entertain?
The Kansas City Chiefs are flying high off a Super Bowl 57 victory, but it’s not going to be easy to keep all the pieces together. That’s the trouble with dynasties: You accrue a ton of talent, develop some of it, and all of a sudden, you have little flexibility to make the ancillary moves that matter so much when trying to get another championship.
Then again, when the Chiefs lost Tyreek Hill last offseason, they hardly missed a beat.
The Chiefs will be looking for opportunities to save money to keep themselves competitive and cap-flexible, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire could be collateral damage in those pursuits over the next season or two.
NFL rumors: Clyde Edwards-Helaire is expected to command some trade attention
In an Insider column for ESPN, Jeremy Fowler reported that the Chiefs are likely going to get calls on Clyde Edwards-Helaire (subscription required), however, he notes that the team is not actively shopping him right now.
Previously, it’s been reported that the Chiefs are expected to leave CEH’s fifth-year option (subscription required) on the table, which means in one way or another, the running back is likely to move from Kansas City either this year or during next year’s offseason as a free agent.
Other teams know the Chiefs don’t have as much use for the running back anymore. Rookie Isaiah Pacheco took over the lead running back role, accruing 101 more carries than CEH in 2022. In fact, CEH fell behind Jerick McKinnon in total carries as well as the third-most used running back.
The Chiefs probably don’t have a massive incentive to get rid of CEH, so unless the offers are extremely attractive, it’s possible KC will just hold onto Edwards-Helaire for depth in 2022.