NFL trade grades: Chiefs add to receiver room in big way with DeAndre Hopkins deal

It’s no longer speculation: DeAndre Hopkins is a Kansas City Chief. The deal was finalized Wednesday morning, sending the former Pro Bowler to a contending team. It was a win-win for both sides.

The Tennessee Titans are hanging on by a thread and the Chiefs are in dire need of a wide out after the injuries have continued to pile up since Week 1. So yeah, the last undefeated team in the NFL just added a monster wide receiver that now has a chance to prove just how good he still is.

Last season, Hopkins recorded his seventh 1,000-yard season in his first year with the Titans. This season, along with a quarterback carousel, he hasn’t quite looked like his usual explosive self. He has just 173 receiving yards and a touchdown. 

That will drastically increase with a future hall of fame quarterback in Patrick Mahomes now throwing to him. 

Let’s take a look at how each team fared in this blockbuster move ahead of the trade deadline.

Kansas City Chiefs trade for WR DeAndre Hopkins: Full details

According to Ian Rappaport of NFL Network, Hopkins’ name had been circulating as a trade piece for some time now throughout the season. Certainly the Chiefs weren’t the only team looking to add wide receiver depth ahead of the deadline. But it was the defending champions that ultimately made the move. 

And it was a cheap move at that. Here are the details per Rappaport’s X platform account, formerly known as Twitter. 

The Chiefs added Hopkins for a fifth-round pick that could become a fourth rounder.

Chiefs, Titans grades for DeAndre Hopkins trade

Kansas City Chiefs grade: A

The Chiefs needed a wide receiver badly. JuJu Smith-Schuster was the latest wide receiver that went down with an injury this season for the Chiefs after dealing with a hamstring injury in the Chiefs’ win over San Francisco.

With Hopkins ability to torch defenses, he could be the perfect acquisition to pair with tight end Travis Kelce and give the Chiefs offense some life. Despite being 6-0 this season, the Chiefs’ offense hasn’t been its usual scary. 

Adding Hopkins into the mix will most likely change that. 

Titans grade: B-

This was probably the best the Titans were going to get for Hopkins. He's only had one full season since his first year at Arizona so that certainly played into his value. He's also in his age 32 season and on an expiring contract.

Tennessee needed to offload Hopkins before the deadline to avoid not getting anything in return and Kansas City posed the perfect landing spot. It was a win-win for both teams.