Chiefs' Road to Winning the AFC West Just Got Even Easier With Latest Trade Rumor

The NFL season is finally here and the Kansas City Chiefs are embarking on their journey for a historic three-peat. As the Chiefs prepare to open the season at home against the Baltimore Ravens, one of their biggest advantages this season will once again be the level of competition in their division. The AFC West continues to be one of the weaker groups in the league outside of the Chiefs and the latest news out of Las Vegas further highlights that reality.

According to The Athletic's Jeff Howe, the Raiders are likely to trade their star receiver Davante Adams during the season. Unless there is "an unexpectedly hot start", people in the league believe that the Raiders will move on from their All-Pro pass-catcher before the trade deadline.

NFL Rumors: Davante Adams A Mid-Season Trade Candidate

Considering that the Raiders don't have the quarterback of their future yet and are starting Gardner Minshew in Week 1, it's hard to see them have an "unexpectedly hot start". Adams is 31 years old and is under contract for two more seasons. It doesn't make much sense for Las Vegas to hold onto him for much longer. Getting additional draft capital and building for the future is clearly the right strategy there.

"Still in the early stages of a rebuild after another quick regime change, there aren’t high expectations for the Raiders around the league... They need to maximize their draft assets to find a franchise quarterback, and the 31-year-old Adams isn’t likely to be around when the Raiders are ready to make a playoff push."

- Jeff Howe, The Athletic

The Raiders moving on from their best offensive player significantly lowers their chances of being competitive in the division. The Denver Broncos are already rebuilding and have one of the bleakest quarterback situations in the league. The second-best team in the AFC West looks to be the Chargers but they have plenty of holes on their roster themselves, most notably their wide receiver rotation.

That makes the Chiefs' path to a ninth straight division title wide open. On FanDuel Sportsbook, the Chiefs are -270 favorites to win the AFC West while the Chargers follow them at +390.

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