According to AP source, the Chiefs are acquiring three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Titans

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The two-time reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs acquire three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans, adding to an injury-plagued position group, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the teams had not announced the trade.

According to NFL Network, the Chiefs are sending a conditional fifth-round pick to the Titans, while Tennessee is covering a portion of Hopkins' salary. This was an important point for the Chiefs, who have very little salary cap space.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid declined to acknowledge the trade before Wednesday's practice, saying only that general manager Brett Veach is “handling it all.” When pressed about the trade, Reid said with a slight smile, “I don't know anything.”

The Chiefs lost wide receiver Marquise Brown, one of their top free agent signings. until shoulder surgery before the start of the season. Sophomore star Rashee Rice suffered a season-ending knee injury last month against the Chargers and veteran wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is out after suffering a hamstring injury in last Sunday's win over the 49ers.

Hopkins is the third high-profile wide receiver to be traded in just over a week.

Davante Adams was the first to move Last Tuesday, he traded from the Raiders to the Jets for a conditional third-round draft pick next year, reuniting with Aaron Rodgers, his old quarterback in Green Bay. hours later, the Bills acquired Amari Cooper and a sixth-round pick next year from the Browns for a third-round pick along with a seventh-round pick in 2026.

Hopkins, 32, had just 15 catches for 173 yards and a touchdown in his second season at Tennessee. But Hopkins is a proven star — 943 catches for 12,528 yards and 79 TDs during a career spent mostly in Arizona and Houston — and has a versatile skill set that should fit well into Reid's complex offensive system.

Hopkins also has an expiring contract, meaning the cash-strapped Chiefs will not receive any salary beyond this season. That was crucial to any trade they made considering how many pending free agents they have on the roster.

“I think the biggest thing is just getting together with the coaches. The coaches are doing a great job of getting the guys up to speed and we've already seen that this year,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said Wednesday. “I just try to be on the same page as the people in there.”

This is the third straight season the Chiefs have traded for wide receiver help. They acquired Kadarius Toney from the Giants two years ago, although he was released before this season, and Mecole Hardman from the Jets last season.

The Chiefs will try to give Hopkins enough of a game plan to help him out as early as Sunday against the Raiders in Las Vegas. But it could take several weeks before he's comfortable enough with it to have a real impact.

However, this is not a problem for the Chiefs. As the only undefeated team in the NFL at 6-0, they have their eyes on a much bigger prize: Mahomes and Co. trying to win an unprecedented third straight Lombardi Trophy in February.

The Chiefs won their second straight Super Bowl last February by defeating the 49ers despite the wide receiver corps being one of the NFL's worst. And while Chiefs general manager Brett Veach tried to solve the problem by signing Brown and taking Xavier Worthy in the first round, they found themselves in a familiar predicament due to their injury situation this season.

The Chiefs still have productive tight ends Travis Kelce and Noah Gray, but they were preparing to play Worthy this week alongside Hardman, journeyman Justin Watson and disappointing former second-round pick Skyy Moore.

Hopkins offers this group a huge improvement for a team that has championship expectations.

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Maaddi reported from Clearwater, Florida.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL