NFL Rumors: Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs linked with former All-Pro WR in bid to three-peat at Super Bowl 2025
Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs finished the year as Super Bowl champions, but unlike many Lombardi winners, the area the team needs to get better at is obvious to most.
Throughout the season, dropped passes and clunky offensive drives served as the biggest criticism against the Chiefs. Despite winning the Super Bowl, wide receiver seemingly appears to be a priority.
On the Carton Show, NFL analyst Craig Carton predicted the team would make a massive splash at Calvin Ridley.
“Calvin Ridley is going to be a Kansas City Chief. Consider all the drops the Chiefs had during the regular season. Kadarius Toney is obviously gonna get cut.
He ain’t coming back. I mean talk about them going for the three-peat, there’s no doubt one of the things missing is a credible wide receiver,” Carton said.
Ridley is coming off his second 1000-yard season of his career and his first complete season since getting suspended for the 2022 season as a result of gambling when he was with the Atlanta Falcons in 2021.
Mike Evans' next team's odds right now
While Ridley serves as a potential top option for Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs, Mike Evans serves as another potential option. The Buccaneers wide receiver is wrapping up a contract and is expected to become a free agent.
Per Adam Schefter, he would draw nearly $30 million per season and more than a traditional franchise tag, meaning that unless the Buccaneers bite, he will hit the open market.
According to Bookies, the Kansas City Chiefs are a top-three destination for Evans. The top expected destination is the Houston Texans at +300, followed by a return to the Buccaneers at +325 and the Chiefs sit in third at +450.
Chiefs' dropped passes and WR stats for 2023
According to Carton, Kansas City had 44 drops in 2023, averaging two to three per game. Coming off the "losingest" season of Patrick Mahomes' career, fans of the team would wish to prevent any further wide receiver mishaps in 2024.
However, some may argue that because the receivers performed so well in the playoffs this year, they will be able to run at full speed in 2024.
The team didn't have a single pass catcher earn 1000 yards in 2023. Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice both came close at 984 yards and 938 yards, respectively, but in 17 games, no Kansas City player earned 1000 yards.
Kelce and Rice were the only receivers to reach over 500 yards as well. It was the team's first year without a 1,000-yard receiver since 2014.
Will the team see a receiving corps improvement in 2024?