5 Chiefs Immediately on Thin Ice to Begin 2025 Offseason

5. DeAndre Hopkins, WR

The Chiefs made their wide receiver position a priority this offseason but they didn’t get a return on their investment. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown suffered a clavicle injury in the preseason and while Xavier Worthy stepped up throughout his rookie season, Kansas City couldn’t find a secondary option to take pressure off Kelce during their run to the Super Bowl.

A situation like this calls for a scapegoat and the Chiefs version could be DeAndre Hopkins. The 32-year-old was acquired in a trade with the Tennessee Titans at the trade deadline and many thought he could find his All-Pro form playing with Mahomes. While this sounded good in theory, Hopkins was a disappointment, catching 18 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns in nine games with the Chiefs after the trade.

Hopkins’ advanced metrics weren’t kind to him either as his average separation of 2.7 yards tied for the 27th-lowest among qualifying receivers this season according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

But while there were reasons for his decline, there are signs that the Chiefs may not have utilized him enough. Hopkins posted 1.50 yards per route run during his time with Kansas City and 2.3 percent drop rate signals he was more of a reliable target than his stats suggest.

Perhaps this was a case of trying to adjust to a new offense in the middle of a season and Hopkins’ resume as a five-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro may suggest he has another act as he hits free agency. Still, the Chiefs may prefer Brown to take that role and Hopkins could find himself looking for a new job this spring.

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