Overreaction Monday: Chiefs should overreact to Rashee Rice injury with next move

The Kansas City Chiefs have made it through the opening month of the 2024 season with an undefeated record, but the conditions of the team are from perfect. There should be significant concerns at Arrowhead Stadium after Kansas City’s 17-10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has done the team no favors this season. The two-time MVP has struggled with accuracy, sloppy footwork and poor pocket awareness.

The quarterback’s struggles gravely cost the Chiefs on Sunday. Mahomes sailed a ball over the head of tight end Travis Kelce early in the game, and it was easily intercepted by Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton. Mahomes compounded the mistake when he attempted to tackle Fulton but ended up diving into the knee of wide receiver Rashee Rice.

Rice, who has been responsible for nearly half of Kansas City’s offensive production, is believed to have suffered a season-ending ACL injury. 

The Chiefs desperately need to trade for a wide receiver

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach spent the offseason bolstering the wide receiver room. Just four games into the regular season, Kansas City’s wide receiver corps is already in dire straits.

After Rice’s injury, rumors began to circulate about the Chiefs trading for Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams.

There has been plenty of speculation that the three-time first-team All-Pro wideout is frustrated with his team’s quarterback situation in Las Vegas, and he would immediately elevate Kansas City’s offense. With head coach Andy Reid scheming up plays and Adams demanding double coverage, there would be plenty of opportunities for the entire offensive unit to flourish.

While it may be wise for the Chiefs to begin exploring trade options, it’s unlikely that they would be able to pull off a trade for Adams. The Raiders are unlikely to trade away their best offensive player, and they certainly wouldn’t want to trade him to their most hated divisional rival. 

Even if it were realistic, Las Vegas would demand a king’s ransom for Adams, and the wide receiver’s contract could create some salary cap concerns for both teams. The Raiders would take on $40.4 million in dead money on their salary cap if they traded the wideout. Kansas City would need roughly $16.6 million in salary cap space to acquire Adams. They currently only have $4.4 million in salary cap space, per OverTheCap.

There are plenty of reasons why no team in NFL history has won three consecutive Super Bowl championships. The afflictions affecting the Chiefs right now include roster turnover, age, attrition and injury.

Over the past five seasons, Kansas City has played 16 postseason games — nearly an entire season’s worth of games. That additional contests can wear down players, especially aging stars like Kelce. The added games also expose players to greater risk of injury and, in some cases, the success can breed complacency.