Kansas City Chiefs: The 2024 installment of the rich getting richer, the Chiefs may have made the single most consequential acquisition when they traded for receiver DeAndre Hopkins. His two-touchdown Monday night in the overtime victory over the Bucs tells you everything about his impact on the receiver-ravaged Chiefs. And Hopkins is still not entirely up to speed with the offense. The Chiefs are in dynasty-building mode, and what they’re doing bares a striking resemblance to how the New England Patriots operated for years, adding low-risk, high-reward players to fill holes. With a season-ending injury to cornerback Jaylen Watson, the Chiefs got a reinforcement for their pass rush with a deal for Josh Uche, a pass rusher who no longer fit in New England. Both Hopkins and Uche were acquired for low-round draft picks. The Chiefs are undefeated on the field and on a winning streak off, too.
Wide receivers: Imagine being Hopkins, who went from playing with Will Levis and Mason Rudolph in Tennessee to being Patrick Mahomes’ teammate. Or Diontae Johnson, who went from one of the worst teams in the NFL (Carolina) to one of the best (Baltimore). It was good to be a veteran receiver this year, because they were the biggest prizes of the trade deadline with six switching teams, starting with Davante Adams finally joining old friend Aaron Rodgers in New York, a trade that has been speculated about for months. The full tally: Adams, Hopkins, Johnson, Jonathan Mingo, Cooper and Mike Williams. Ironically, Adams may be one of two traded receivers who don’t end up in the postseason.
Minnesota Vikings: Going from the 2-7 Jaguars to the 6-2 Vikings – a team that looks like it could compete for a Super Bowl – is an obvious win for left tackle Cam Robinson, who can bolster his 2025 free agency market playing for a playoff contender. But the Vikings are the real victors here. Losing Christian Darrisaw, one of the NFL’s best left tackles, to a season-ending knee injury is a potentially devastating blow. But the Vikings moved aggressively to get Robinson, who was solid in his Minnesota debut against the Colts last Sunday, not only shoring up Sam Darnold’s protection but also sending a very strong message – to the locker room and the rest of the league – that they are not ceding what has already been a surprising season.
Fans of the trade deadline: The NFL trade deadline used to be a bore – in 2015, just one player was moved within a week of the deadline – in part because the perception was that a trade was too difficult because of the salary cap. But business has picked up in recent years, thanks in part to a wave of young general managers with a fierce aggressiveness streak — looking at you, Adam Peters — and a realization that nobody gets very long to make an impact and save their jobs. Last season, eight players were traded within 24 hours of the deadline. This season, the action came early and often. In all, there were 18 trades involving 19 players since week 1 of the 2024 season.
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