One Chiefs offseason whiff could come back to bite Patrick Mahomes a year later

Even Brett Veach makes mistakes, as Kansas City Chiefs fans found out all too well this past week. Revisionist history is a dangerous game. There's simply no way Veach could have seen this sort of wide receiver room drama coming, particularly with players like Rashee Rice and Kadarius Toney.

Rice is facing charges for a reckless driving incident in Dallas that could force him to miss time, whether it be via an actual sentence or suspension handed down from the commissioner's office. Toney, meanwhile, is always a distraction -- thankfully not in the same way as Rice.

Veach signed Hollywood Brown and drafted Xavier Worthy this offseason. Both are capable players and, by all means, the Chiefs receiving corps should look better this season than last. Patrick Mahomes has expressed confidence in the group, especially as it pertains to the deep ball, an area the Chiefs struggled in 2023-24.

Yet, what if I told you the Chiefs had a chance to pick up a 1,000-yard wideout and two-time Pro Bowler last offseason, but passed?

Chiefs choice to pass on Adam Thielen was the wrong one

Adam Thielen was about the only consistent threat Bryce Young had to throw to last season in Carolina. Yes, that says plenty about the Panthers front office and their inability to surround the No. 1 pick with talent, but it's not the purpose of this article. In Carolina, Thielen proved he had plenty left in the tank -- something the Vikings, his former team, did not believe.

Per Starcade media in Kansas City, Thielen noted that he wanted to join the Chiefs last offseason, but they didn't want him.

Now look, Thielen is far from a deep threat at this point in his career, but he's not relegated to the slot, either. The Panthers wide receiver averaged a career-low yards per reception last season, but was still close to 10 YPC. For reference, Thielen was utilized and had more receptions than Rice and Travis Kelce last season.

Mahomes is talented enough to make just about any receiving corps look good. Still, we heard enough last season about the Chiefs greatest weakness to know Thielen would've made a difference.

Veach is fantastic at his job, but chalk this one up as a rare miss.