Chiefs Trade Proposal Adds $100 Million Browns WR to Replace Rashee Rice

The Kansas City Chiefs are no stranger to upheaval at the skill positions. Already this season, they've been without top running back Isiah Pacheco (broken fibula) and top free-agent signing Hollywood Brown (shoulder injury), and on Sunday, they added another big-time injury when leading receiver Rashee Rice went down with what is feared to be a torn ACL.

Rice had been off to a scintillating start with 24 catches and 288 yards in three games. It will be tough to replace that production with what the Chiefs have on the roster. So, for the third year in a row, the smart money is on Kansas City making a trade before November's NFL deadline for deals.

Credit the folks at FanDuel for thinking big in that respect. In a post on Twitter/X on Monday, the gambling site suggested a big swing at Browns star Amari Cooper, who is in the final year of a five-year, $100 million contract and could be eager to move on from a Browns team that could be headed toward a rebuild.

As things stand, it could be the NFL accountants who say no to such a deal, because the Chiefs have a limited amount of cap space on hand, less than $5 million, per Over The Cap. If the Browns ate a big portion of Cooper's remaining money, that deal could work.

But Cleveland might want to hold out for a better return from the Chiefs if they're taking on added money.

Cooper is coming off a Pro Bowl season, his fifth, in which he caught 72 passes for 1,250 yards. But the Browns have had a miserable 1-3 start to the year, and rank 30th in passing yards.

Looking to cash out on Cooper--who has the chops to replace Rice--in a deal for Chiefs picks might be the sensible play for Cleveland.