Chiefs trade proposal that would make Patrick Mahomes unstoppable

The Kansas City Chiefs should take a step forward offensively this season, which ought to worry those standing between the Chiefs and their third straight Super Bowl.

The wide receiving corps was unforgivably poor last season, but Mahomes found a way when the games mattered most. While Kansas City has not acquired a truly elite wideout on the level of Tyreek Hill, the Kadarius Toney era is officially over. Rashee Rice is due for a sophomore leap (for as long as he's eligible), while rookie Xavier Worthy and veteran Hollywood Brown add a dangerous speed element to the Chiefs' passing attack.

With Isiah Pacheco on the rise at RB, the Chiefs should find plenty of playmaking avenues in 2024. Travis Kelce remains ever-productive as Mahomes' favorite target and there isn't a better quarterback in the NFL when it comes to elevating his teammates and overcoming a flawed supporting cast.

So, when the Chiefs are floated as a potential destination for a high-profile malcontent, you can practically hear the stomachs squirming around the AFC and the NFL at large. And yet, with New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara selling his NOLA home in anticipation of a forthcoming departure, that very concept has taken root in the NFL discourse.

Chiefs could target Saints RB Alvin Kamara with breakup on the horizon

Kamara's contract is not guaranteed next season and it carries a cap hit of $29 million, so the Saints will almost definitely opt out. There is still time for an extension, but it's becoming increasingly less common for RBs to get long-term, guaranteed money. Kamara has 'earned' a payday with seven productive campaigns in New Orleans, but that doesn't mean the Saints will pay him on the precipice of an inevitable decline.

The Chiefs can absolutely afford the draft capital necessary to pry Kamara out of Kansas City. He would serve more than adequately as a pass-catching RB and change of pace option, in the same mold as Kareem Hunt or the presently injured Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Kamara is paid far more than your standard RB2 — the Saints are on the hook for a $18.5 million cap hit this season — but in terms of talent and fit, the Chiefs can hardly expect a better option.

Whether the Chiefs should splurge on Kamara and send their already-complex salary situation into total disarray is up for debate. It's also worth pondering if deploying Karama in a more streamlined role would become a case of diminishing returns. At 29, Kamara has a lot of miles on his knees. Last season was his least efficient to date (3.9 yards per attempt). It also marked his first time finishing a season with less than 1,300 yards from scrimmage.

Kamara can still handle a hefty workload and operate out of a variety of different actions, and perhaps his efficiency would tick back up with fewer reps. The Chiefs absolutely, unequivocally benefit from Kamara the football player; it's just a question of whether or not Kansas City benefits from Kamara the financial investment.

Again, Kamara is essentially a free agent next season. There's a good chance he would leave the Chiefs next summer for a better paycheck and a more substantial role. Moreover, planting Kamara in the backfield inevitably takes touches away from Pacheco, a more explosive RB with a far longer runway for success in Kansas City. The Chiefs are in win-at-all-costs mode, but swiping developmental reps from Pacheco at this stage could age poorly.

So, yes, the idea of Kamara in Kansas City is tantalizing. That is another weapon for Mahomes to make use of, and Kamara's pass-catching dynamism out of the backfield would be particularly beneficial to the Chiefs' All-Pro quarterback. But, a slight dig beneath the surface reveals a few potential quibbles that could turn the Chiefs off of a Kamara trade.