It wasn’t that long ago when the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots were duking it out for AFC supremacy.
Now, the two are linking up in a trade that Kansas City hopes will get the Chiefs another step closer to winning their third consecutive Super Bowl championship.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport has details on the trade that is sending pass rusher Josh Uche from New England to Kansas City:
Ahhh, the rich get richer. The 7-0 Chiefs adding a starting-caliber pass rusher for the cost of a sixth-round pick just one week after swinging a trade with the Tennessee Titans for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins speaks volumes for how serious Kansas City is about winning the whole thing again.
Uche, 26, was a Patriots second-round pick (60th overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft. The University of Michigan product has 2 sacks, 3 quarterback hits, and 2 tackles-for-loss in seven games this season. However, Uche is only two years removed from a spectacular 2022 season in which he racked up 11.5 sacks, 14 quarterback hits, and 9 tackles-for-loss. I imagine the Chiefs are hoping a change of scenery will help Josh Uche recapture the magic of 2022. At a minimum, it gives Kansas City a rotational pass-rusher with a track record and some upside.
The Chiefs are giving us ideas about how the NFL Trade Deadline will go
The NFL’s trade deadline is one week from tomorrow. With that in mind, I expect trade rumors and discussions to heat up around the league. Frankly, I’m looking forward to it because it adds a little extra boost to the football calendar. Traditionally, the NFL Trade Deadline is an afterthought — especially when compared to MLB and the NBA. But we’ve seen some impactful trades in recent years. Perhaps we’re seeing a change in how NFL general managers view the trade deadline, players who can be acquired before it, and what it costs to cut a deal.
I hope Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles is taking notes.
Knowing that Chicago could be on the hunt for defensive line help makes Kansas City sending a sixth-round pick helps provide context and perspective on what it could cost the Bears to do likewise. Although, the Bears have already shipped off a sixth-round pick for Chris Williams — a defensive tackle who has played on just 27 percent of the team’s defensive snaps this season. So maybe that isn’t the move for Poles right now.
Losing to the Washington Commanders in the Bears did on Sunday is the type of thing that could change a general manager’s perspective ahead of the trade deadline. Then again, so is the state of the roster’s health. The NFL Trade Deadline is in eight days. I wonder what is coming up on the horizon. Stay tuned.