As the Kansas City Chiefs have struggled with their wide receiver depth early in the 2025 NFL season, the Packers may hold the perfect solution to their woes. The Chiefs’ offense, typically known for its explosive passing attack, has been slower than usual, with key receivers struggling to make an impact. And while the team’s offensive line has faced criticism, it’s the lack of reliable weapons on the outside that has fans worried.
Despite the success of their quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs’ wide receiver corps has failed to live up to expectations so far. The loss of Tyreek Hill a few seasons ago left a gaping hole that has yet to be filled. Although the Chiefs have brought in new talent, none have been able to consistently replicate Hill’s game-changing presence.
The Packers, on the other hand, may hold the answer. With a young but explosive receiving core, the Packers have a player who could be a perfect fit for Kansas City’s needs. The Chiefs’ lack of a true deep threat has become evident, and the Packers possess a wide receiver with the speed, agility, and hands to make an immediate impact on Mahomes’ offense.
The ideal candidate for this solution could be a trade involving Packers’ standout wide receiver, who has shown flashes of brilliance in Green Bay but might be more valuable to a team looking to compete right now. With a receiver capable of stretching the field, Mahomes would have more freedom to execute his typical big-play passes, putting the Chiefs back in the conversation as one of the most potent offenses in the league.
Additionally, the Packers are in a position where they might be open to a deal, especially if they’re focused on their own rebuild and future draft picks. The Chiefs have the resources to make such a trade work, and it could be the catalyst they need to revitalize their season.
As the weeks go on, the Chiefs will likely continue to search for answers to their WR struggles. And while the solution might be closer than they think, it’s up to management to pull the trigger on a trade that could make all the difference. With the Packers holding the key to fixing their wide receiver issues, the Chiefs’ ability to act swiftly will determine if they can turn things around before it’s too late.
The Chiefs need a receiver. The Packers might have the answer.
Kansas City’s problem isn’t mysterious. Through two weeks, the offense has been out of rhythm, starved of explosives, and short on healthy, reliable targets. Some of that is structural (timing, inconsistent protection), but the biggest bite has come from availability: Rashee Rice’s suspension, Xavier Worthy’s labrum, and assorted dings elsewhere have left Patrick Mahomes playing whack-a-mole with options. When the Chiefs did threaten late against Philadelphia, it felt like effort over ease — not the juice we’ve come to expect.
If there’s a fast-track fix, it’s adding a wideout who can win on command — someone who either scares safeties back or converts the boring, chain-moving stuff on schedule so the rest of the playbook breathes. That’s where Green Bay comes in.
Why the Packers are the logical call
Green Bay’s room is young, explosive, and (importantly) layered. They have a field-stretcher archetype, a boundary winner, a crafty separator, and sub-packages that feature real speed. They also have roster/contract pressure that could make a deal sensible in September rather than October: multiple receivers from the 2022 and 2023 classes coming due over the next 18 months, a recent one-year extension for Christian Watson, and injuries reshuffling roles week to week.
Before we talk names, one reality check: the “obvious” deep-threat splash — Christian Watson — is probably the least realistic short-term solution. Watson just signed a one-year extension through 2026 and is working his way back from an ACL tear. Even if the Chiefs were tempted by his height-weight-speed unicorn profile (4.36 speed at 6-4), the timeline and fresh extension make him a tough midseason target for immediate help.
The pragmatic target: Romeo Doubs
Romeo Doubs is the cleanest fit for Kansas City’s right now problem. He’s on a four-year rookie deal that runs through 2025, which keeps his number manageable and the compensation calculus sane. Functionally, he’s a boundary X/Z who wins with pacing, frame, and feel — the kind of receiver who can live on outs, curls, slants, and back-shoulders, then punish one-on-one in the red zone. That profile matters in Kansas City’s offense, where Mahomes’ out-of-structure wizardry still needs trustworthy landmarks and late-hands targets on the sideline. Contract-wise, he’s affordable — and that matters for a contender hunting needle-movers without detonating the cap.
There’s also smoke that Doubs could be the one Green Bay listens on. After Watson’s extension, multiple outlets floated the idea that Doubs — entering a contract year with emerging teammates on rookie deals — might be the odd man out if the Packers choose to cash in a chip for picks. None of that guarantees availability, but it does open a door that wasn’t there in August.
What Doubs gives Kansas City on Day 1
Third-down answers. When defenses sit in two-high shells and dare the Chiefs to be patient, Doubs gives you the boring wins: slant vs. off, comeback vs. outside leverage, glance vs. cushion. Those are the plays that keep Mahomes in rhythm and out of hero ball.
Red-zone trust. The Chiefs have leaned on tight ends and option concepts near the goal line; adding a wideout who can body a corner and win on a slant/iso gives you another club in the bag.
Scramble-drill chemistry. Doubs’ late separation and sideline awareness would pair nicely with Mahomes’ “drift right, fire back-shoulder” instincts.
The upside swing: Dontayvion Wicks
If Kansas City wants more vertical teeth, Dontayvion Wicks is the intrigue play. Coming out, scouting reports pegged him as a true deep threat with body control and savvy to separate downfield. That shows up in how he stems routes and tracks the ball outside the numbers. He’s also on a 2023 rookie deal — cheap control through 2026. That combo (traits + contract) is why Green Bay may view him as a core piece rather than trade bait, but the fit in KC is undeniable: he’d widen safeties pre-snap and open up the intermediate MOF where Travis Kelce still punishes. Health-wise, he’s been managing a minor calf but has been trending available — another reason he’d help sooner than later.
Why not just wait on the Chiefs’ own room?
You could. Worthy’s on-track return would give Kansas City the jet-motion/speed-to-threaten-leverage element they’ve been missing, and Rice will be back as the suspension burns off. But the Week-to-Week NFL rarely waits for tidy endings, and the AFC will not pause while KC plays roster rehab. One added receiver can flip the geometry now — which, in turn, makes everyone else’s job easier when they do return.
Cost, structure, and a realistic offer
Green Bay isn’t giving away a starting receiver in September. But the Chiefs don’t need a sweetheart deal; they need a fair one. Two frameworks that make sense:
For Romeo Doubs: a 2026 third-round pick that escalates to a second if snap/production thresholds are met (e.g., 60% snaps + team playoff berth). That lets Green Bay tax Kansas City for meaningful usage without forcing KC to part with a 2026 first/second today.
For Dontayvion Wicks: a 2026 second-rounder straight up, or a 2026 third + a conditional 2027 pick that escalates based on yardage/TDs. Because Wicks has more club-control and age runway, the price should be steeper.
Contractually, both fit: Doubs’ rookie deal is tiny against the cap; Wicks’ is even lighter. Either lets the Chiefs keep future flexibility for Rice and Worthy while keeping lines open for veteran additions at other spots.
How they’d be deployed in Andy Reid’s menu
With Doubs: Lean into the choice/option world from bunch and condensed splits. Let him be the point man in stacks on third down. Build RPO tags where he runs the glance/hitch into soft corners. In the red zone, call the boundary iso that looks like the fade and morphs into the back-shoulder. None of this requires rewiring the offense; it just restores predictable wins to the places KC has been too volatile.
With Wicks: Treat him as the field-splitter. Use him to carry/separate the deep safety on Yankee (post + crosser) and to be the vertical in switch releases from bunch. Pair him with Worthy’s motion and suddenly corners must declare leverage early — an automatic advantage for Mahomes pre-snap. The hidden value is how much it reopens the middle for Kelce on seams, sticks, and sit-downs.
Don’t overthink the timing
Kansas City can talk itself into patience — and maybe that’s right if the internal health picture brightens quickly. But the Chiefs are 0-2 for the first time in the Andy Reid era there, and the offense has felt like labor. One move doesn’t guarantee fireworks, but it changes the math on every snap: boxes lighten, seams open, third downs shorten, and the quarterback can win with spacing as often as he wins with sorcery.
The verdict
If Brett Veach is calling Green Bay, the order should be:
Romeo Doubs — the high-floor “today” fix who stabilizes the structure and gives Mahomes a trustworthy boundary target at a manageable cost.
Dontayvion Wicks — the higher-ceiling “tomorrow and beyond” swing who restores fear over the top and stretches the field horizontally and vertically.
Kick the tires on speed depth (Bo Melton) if the market for Doubs/Wicks is prohibitively expensive; he won’t change the world, but he adds motion speed and a vertical threat that’s better than replacement level. packers.com
Meanwhile, Christian Watson is the dream archetype — but the extension/rehab combo makes him an unlikely September solve. If anything, his new deal may nudge the Packers toward monetizing a different wideout to balance the room and the 2026 cap. NBC Sports
Bottom line: Kansas City doesn’t need the perfect receiver. They need the right one for right now. Green Bay has two that fit the bill. If the Chiefs act before the rest of the conference gets thirsty, they can nudge the offense back to what it’s supposed to be: easy buttons for the greatest player on earth, with the explosives returning as the health does.
