For the second year in a row, the Kansas City Chiefs‘ wide receiver room hasn’t been fully available for the season. In 2024, it was Rashee Rice‘s knee injury and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown‘s sternoclavicular surgery that left the offense limited. This year, Rice is suspended to start the 2025-26 campaign and Xavier Worthy got hurt in Week 1.
While things are beginning to — or will soon — stabilize, that didn’t stop many from clamoring for the club to reunite with superstar wideout Tyreek Hill. Now that Hill has suffered a season-ending injury of his own, that trade speculation can stop. Was a Hill-to-KC trade ever a real possibility?
In an October 4 story for The Athletic, league insider Dianna Russini dropped her latest intel from around the league. Her details on any potential Hill trade are interesting.
Insider Reveals Whether Chiefs Planned to Trade for Tyreek Hill
As it turns out, Hill wasn’t seriously an option for them anyway. Russini revealed such in her subheading titled “Tyreek Hill wasn’t coming back — and the Chiefs knew it.
The Chiefs were never planning to go after the Miami Dolphins‘ best player.
“Tyreek Hill’s gruesome leg injury ended the Dolphins star’s season, and with it, any trade speculation,” Russini wrote. While fantasy managers and fans dreamed up reunion scenarios, I’m told Hill was never considered a real option in Kansas City, even as the Chiefs stumbled out of the gate.
“Inside Arrowhead, there’s been no panic. The front office and coaching staff have stayed patient, waiting to see how quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ offense would look once his top receivers found their rhythm. On Sunday, Xavier Worthy led the team in rushing and receiving yards, showing exactly why Kansas City has been so high on him.”
Getting Hill back in the fold was an intriguing prospect for Chiefs fans. After all, he hauled in 479 passes for 6,630 yards and 56 touchdowns while in town. Given his insane salary cap hit for 2026, though ($51.9 million), it never made fiscal sense. Kansas City can’t afford a top-flight receiver unless he’s on a rookie contract or prove-it deal.
Of course, Hill’s gruesome leg injury makes any trade chatter a moot point. Kansas City can move forward knowing it has a solid group already.
Looming Return of Rashee Rice Could Give Kansas City a WR Solution
Russini notes that even after an 0-2 start to the season, the Chiefs “clearly aren’t” worried about the month of September. Rattling off consecutive wins over the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens probably had something to do with that confidence.
The eventual return of Rice also factors into it, says Russini. A Kansas City source tells her that can be viewed as an in-season trade of Hill-level proportions.
“And more help is on the way,” Russini explained. “Rashee Rice, who is eligible to return in Week 7 after serving a suspension for his role in a March 2024 car crash, remains the Chiefs’ most reliable route runner and biggest receiving threat. Those in the building are adamant he’ll make an immediate difference. ‘He’s better than any trade we could make,’ one team source told me. ‘People don’t realize how good he is.’”
That source may have a point; Rice’s production before his 2024 knee injury was special. In his first three starts, he caught 24 passes on 29 targets (82.8%) for 288 yards and 2 touchdowns. That’s a full-season pace of 136 grabs, 1,632 yards and 11 scores. Considering Rice hadn’t even hit his ceiling as a deep threat, this impressive volume is contextualized even more.
The Chiefs have managed without Rice for the time being. Brown leads the offense in targets (32) and receiving yards (209), and players like Tyquan Thornton and JuJu Smith-Schuster are stepping up in supporting roles. Worthy looked great in his Week 4 return. Tight end Travis Kelce, while not overwhelming in the box score, is doing damage on a per-snap basis.
Given where the Chiefs are without their most important piece even playing a snap yet, they can feel pretty good.
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