Kansas City Chiefs: Why trading for A.J. Green makes sense

With the exit of wide receiver Chris Conley, does it make sense for the Kansas City Chiefs to add another veteran presence to bolster the group?

The Kansas City Chiefs have used the 2019 offseason the right way so far. By adding depth at key positions prior to the draft, the Chiefs have set themselves up to have a successful draft as well.

The Chiefs had one of the most explosive offense in the NFL in 2018. Patrick Mahomes threw touchdowns to nine different receivers through the first three games. To say that that isn’t an important position for Mahomes is an understatement.

While Kansas City still has incredible talent at the receiver position, there’s still reason to add more. Chiefs Kingdom hopes that Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins will again be big targets for Mahomes this upcoming season, but what if injury or other issues keep them off the field?

There’s also the fact that Chris Conley hit the road in free agency and signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. While Conley didn’t seem to strike fear in opposing defenses, he was still a capable receiver, especially with Mahomes slinging the pigskin around.

It may not make perfect sense or be a popular option, but let’s consider how the Chiefs could fill the void left by Conley by trading for A.J. Green. FanSided’s own Brad Berreman wrote an article a few weeks ago speculating who he thought were the best fits for Green on the trade market.

Berreman wrote,

"While Patrick Mahomes is still on his rookie contract, the Chiefs have to be all-in to win for a short window and they can take on Green’s cap hit for this year."

When considering the top names at the receiver position, Green no longer seems to be higher on that list. For a lot of seasons, though, the argument could be made that he was the best receiver in the league. And that was while receiving passes from Andy Dalton.

No disrespect to Dalton, but after eight seasons, he hasn’t managed to become an elite level quarterback. How would he look, then, if he didn’t have Green catches his passes during those seasons? It’s possible that Green’s talent made Dalton appear better than he really was.

So, how would Green look while catching passes from Mahomes? It’s not crazy to think that into his 30’s, Green could have some of the best seasons of his career. And that’s saying a lot since all but two of his eight seasons were 1,000 plus receiving yard seasons.

The two seasons that Green didn’t hit 1,000 yards were injury-shortened seasons. Contrast that to Chris Conley and it’s worth noting that he has only had one season over 500 yards in four years. Even though he’s older, Green would definitely be an upgrade over Conley and there’s no debating that.