The Kansas City Chiefs have plenty of talent that would warrant premium compensation in a trade, but would any team trade this many firsts for QB Patrick Mahomes?
The Kansas City Chiefs may have had a terrible 2025 season that saw the franchise miss the playoffs for the first time in 11 years, but it wasn’t because the team lacked talent.
A lot of things didn’t go their way, and frankly, the Chiefs just didn’t play well in most facets of the game. It didn’t help that Kansas City lost star quarterback Patrick Mahomes to torn knee ligaments, but the team was struggling long before Mahomes went down in Week 15.
The Chiefs did go through several roster changes, and similar to the 2022 offseason, Kansas City retooled by acquiring tons of draft picks in a trade for star cornerback Trent McDuffie. The deal for McDuffie allowed the Chiefs to bring in another first-round pick, which was used to draft Clemson defensive lineman Peter Woods.
Kansas City got aggressive with their No. 9 pick and used it with later picks to move up to the Cleveland Browns’ No. 6 spot to draft LSU CB Mansoor Delane to replace McDuffie.
Despite losing McDuffie, one of the most valuable Chiefs before being traded, the team is chock full of players that could bring back one or more first-round picks in a trade.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell broke down just how many first-rounders it would take to acquire players from each team through the lens of how the league values these players, and the Chiefs have seven players in his eyes that would warrant premium compensation.
Barnwell started with the obvious – Mahomes. But his number of first-round picks that it would take to get Kansas City to move on from him is kind of shocking, but it rivals Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen’s number: at least seven.
“Would a torn ACL stop anyone from trading the farm to land Mahomes?” Barnwell wrote Thursday. “I'm of the opinion that Allen is the best quarterback in football at the moment, having outplayed Mahomes over the past three seasons, but Mahomes' postseason halo and remarkably consistent success before 2025 would undoubtedly charm teams, too.”
Obviously, Mahomes’ resume speaks for itself. If he was a few years younger, the cost would make more sense, but Barnwell points out he’s turning 31 in November. He’s also the best QB this generation has seen, so would seven firsts be worth it?
Players that would command a single first-round pick according to Barnwell are Delane, center Creed Humphrey, DL Chris Jones, Edge George Karlaftis, offensive tackle Josh Simmons and guard Trey Smith.
Barnwell noted that Simmons could command more if he continues to play strong football, meanwhile Jones could be falling out of first-round pick territory as he ages and becomes less effective.
Wide receivers Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy didn’t meet the standard. Rice’s off-the-field antics and Worthy’s injury concerns make it difficult to commit a first-round pick for either. Barnwell stated that the Chiefs would be reluctant to give Rice a second contract, making it silly to move a first for him at this point.
