Chiefs Rumors: Mike Evans trade, Jawaan Taylor’s costly tell, obvious WR answer

Chiefs Rumors: Mike Evans trade buzz grows louder

After Week 1, almost every Chiefs fan is thinking the same thing: Our wide receivers can't catch a damn ball.

In the inevitable fallout, Bucs' Mike Evans has been named a potential trade target for the Chiefs. Evans, in the final year of his deal, is currently in the middle of a contract standoff with Tampa Bay with an extension looking more and more unlikely. Saturday, Sept. 9, was Evans' self-imposed deadline for getting a deal done, and this afternoon Adam Schefter reported that the Bucs and Evans failed to agree to an extension.

This means Evans will hit free agency in 2024 -- unless a wideout-needy team trades for him first.

CBS Sports listed Evans as a player the Chiefs should consider signing with Bryan DeArdo stating the somewhat obvious: "Evans would immediately become Mahomes' best target not named Kelce."

The NFL trade deadline is October 31, giving the Chiefs plenty of time to assess their options and decide if they want to fork over draft capital for the four-time Pro Bowler. Evans has recorded 1,000-plus receiving yard seasons in every year of his nearly decade-long stint on the Bucs, so his consistency isn't really part of the question.

Given that Kansas City declined to take flyers on DeAndre Hopkins and Odell Beckham Jr. this past offseason when both were free agents, the chances of the team trading for a top wideout -- even if Evans' ceiling is much higher than those two players -- still feels low.

Then again, pinning their dynasty hopes on Travis Kelce staying healthy all season may not be the best idea, especially given the varying timetable of recovery for a hyperextended knee. The ball is in Brett Veach's court now.