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Chiefs Get Patrick Mahomes Crucial Offensive Weapon, Days After Trading Mecole Hardman and Juju Smith-Schuster

Published 04/10/2023, 12:02 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

Back in 2022, the Kansas City Chiefs lost one of the fastest wide receivers in the game. Despite losing Tyreek ‘Cheetah’ Hill to the Miami Dolphins, the Chiefs kept their head high and kept on building. A year later, the Kansas City Chiefs won their second Super Bowl trophy in the last four years. A major part of the Chiefs’ success was their MVP and QB1 Patrick Mahomes.

Mahomes throwing the ball has been a treat to most NFL fans, but he needs catchers around him. Thankfully, he has Travis Kelce, and the two proved themselves as one of the best QB-TE tandems in the entire league. But it’s always better to have as many options available around someone with the caliber of Patrick Mahomes. And that’s exactly what the Chiefs must be thinking, as they added another effective weapon to get the job done.

Richie James to the Chiefs

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In addition to losing Hill, the team also had to bid farewell to Mecole Hardman and Juju Smith-Schuster, both pivotal parts of their championship squad. Hardman signed with the New York Jets, while Smith-Schuster joined the Patriots. Mecole Hardman was the Chief’s primary replacement for Tyreek Hill, but losing him means they need to revamp the roster.

Since then, the Kansas City Chiefs have officially agreed to a one-year deal with the Richie James of the New York Giants. While the exact details of the deal have not yet been revealed, James signed a similar deal last year as a free agent with the Giants. The signing bonus was speculated to be $100,000 with an average salary of $1 million.

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According to a report by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, “The #Chiefs have agreed to terms with WR Richie James, source says. After a breakout season with the #Giants (57 catches for 569 yards and 4 TDs), James becomes a target for Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City.”

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The Kansas City Chiefs certainly have high hopes for Richie James, as he put up his career-best season in New York. The 27-year-old wide receiver put up four touchdowns, covering 569 yards, and made 57 catches. Not to mention, James came back from an injury-laden season and instantly proved his worth to the Giants, helping them clinch a playoff spot.

Mahomes and his entourage

Losing Tyreek Hill was a massive blow to the Chiefs. The Kansas City team had to switch up their entire offense going into the season, as Mahomes had lesser options to stretch the field. Instead of making his spectacular deep throws, Mahomes was restricted to working the ball up the field with short-yardage throws to open receivers. Clearly, this strategy worked as the Chiefs nabbed another Super Bowl championship.

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But being a championship-caliber team means constant evolution. Richie James’ addition to the team would allow Kansas to run those deep plays all over again, and even though James cannot match Hill’s rapidness, he has excelled in a similar role in the past.

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Written by:

Sagnik Majumder

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Sagnik Majumder is an accomplished NFL writer at EssentiallySports. With his engineering background, Majumder likes to analyze game statistics, which makes him fluent in prediction articles. A big-time Aaron Rodgers fan, Majumder believes that even at this age, the QB is one of the most threatening passers in the league.
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Edited by:

Deepika Bhaduri