Heartbreaking. For all of their regular season dominance, their worst game of the season coming in Super Bowl 59 paved the way for a demoralizing 40-22 blowout for the Kansas City Chiefs. However, the team is already looking ahead to next season and finding its way back to the big game.
Already, key names like Trey Smith and Travis Kelce are returning to the squad. But, making some key changes has to factor into their plans. And one veteran wide receiver is making the rounds as this year’s target for Kansas City.
Prediction for This Year’s Kansas City Chiefs Veteran Wide Receiver
Since they traded Tyreek Hill, the Chiefs have made it a priority to add a veteran wide receiver to their squad for the season. Names like Juju Smith Schuster have played the part previously, and last season, it was DeAndre Hopkins who got his turn.
But, according to the Sporting News, Kansas City is going to go a familiar route next season. Keenan Allen, who spent a chunk of his career with Division Rivals Los Angeles Chargers, is who they see going to the Chiefs.
“The Chiefs keep going through veteran receivers, but the difference here is that Allen is a dedicated big slot who can consistently get open for Patrick Mahomes on intermediate routes.” In their last two drafts, the team has already added Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice to their wide receiver room.
While Worthy projects to be an elite explosive play artist, Rice is sublime at collecting yards after the catch. In that system, Allen can fill the perfect void. “The 32-year-old pass-catcher would play well off youngsters Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice.”
Last year, as part of a terrible Chicago Bears defense, Allen had a pretty down season, ending with just 744 yards and seven touchdowns. However, he’s repeatedly shown the ability to be a game-breaking threat in his 12-year career, which includes six Pro Bowl selections.
And at 32, while he might not be able to provide peak production, he can still be a solid addition to a Kansas City offense that ranked outside the top 10 on PFSN’s Offense+ metric. With the way the unit functioned in the Super Bowl, not scoring a single point in the first half, help is necessary on that end.
And there might not be a better option available for Kansas City, especially with its bloated salary cap situation. Who knows? Maybe Allen can be the missing piece to push Patrick Mahomes back to MVP form after ranking 10th on PFSN’s QB+ metric for the season.