Chiefs Trade Proposal Nets Patrick Mahomes 5-Time All-Pro Wide Receiver

That the Kansas City Chiefs (5-0) will look for an upgrade at wide receiver ahead of the NFL's November 5 trade deadline is all but a certainty. The real question is who that player might be?

Kansas City needs a true No. 1 in the receiver room to complement tight end Travis Kelce , who started this season slowly but has come on with 16 catches for 159 yards over the past two games combined.

The Chiefs' salary cap situation this year and moving forward might disincline them from making a monster move, such as jumping in on the Davante Adams discussions or probing the willingness of the Miami Dolphins (which probably wouldn't exist anyway) to facilitate a reunion with Tyreek Hill .

However, that doesn't mean an elite-level talent is out of the question entirely. Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports authored a trade proposal on Tuesday, October 8, in which Kansas City deals for five-time All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins of the Tennessee Titans .

"The Chiefs reportedly tried to land Hopkins before he signed with Tennessee, and now they're in dire need of veteran help for Patrick Mahomes with Rashee Rice and Marquise Brown significantly banged up," Benjamin wrote .

Hopkins is in the final season of his two-year, $26 million contract with the Titans, who are going nowhere fast this season at 1-3 amid serious quarterback questions.

His base salary is $8.27 million, which equates to game checks of around $459,500 weekly. If Kansas City was to deal for Hopkins now, with 13 weeks remaining in the regular season, the Chiefs would be looking at a bill of just under $6 million.

The team has a current salary cap cushion of $4.15 million and would need to clear a little under $2 million in space to make the deal possible.

Hopkins, 32 years old, put up 75 catches for 1,057 yards and 7 TDs last season, putting to bed the notion that he is washed on the wrong side of 30. The receiver has only tallied 10 catches for 121 yards and a single TD this season, though the Titans have already had their bye week and played just four games thus far.

The aforementioned QB issues also haven't helped Hopkins' output, though a trade to the Chiefs where he would catch passes from Mahomes in an offense designed by Andy Reid is among the quickest ways to turn a mediocre season into a good one.