The Kansas City Chiefs are 4-0 heading into their bye week. That's a great start to the season, but there are issues that the front office has to address, with the biggest among them being the lack of depth and talent at wide receiver. With Rashee Rice leaving yet another game with an injury, and Tyquan Thornton possibly out for the season after his gruesome ankle injury, the Chiefs need help at wideout, and a rumored Tyreek Hill reunion could be in the works.

The Chiefs should absolutely not do this.

Hill is a player whose game is predicated on elite speed, and at 32, coming off a major knee injury in 2025, the chance that speed is still there to the level it once was is low. Additionally, Hill is way more of a headache than he is worth, with yet more tales of his domestic abuse being told right now as his ex-wife testifies in a civil trial against him.

Kansas City has never had problems with the latter issues before, though. This is the team that drafted him after he got kicked out of Oklahoma State for his first of several horrific domestic violence arrests. Still, for the character issues first and foremost and the football issues second, the Chiefs should trade for Brian Thomas Jr. instead of signing Tyreek Hill.

Why a Brian Thomas Jr. trade makes sense

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) sprints on a catch and run during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Texans 17-10. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
© Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
If the Chiefs make a trade for a wide receiver, they need to find the best combination of demonstrated production and upside as possible. Hill has the production in his past, but no upside past this year (and even less PR upside). Other names connected to KC include Marvin Harrison Jr., Jerry Jeudy, Calvin Ridley, and Thomas.

Harrison is all upside with no history of big-time NFL production. Jeudy has some production and maybe a tiny bit of upside, but he pretty much is what he is at this point. And Ridley, at 31, has had solid production at times, but may be pretty well washed at this point.

That leaves Thomas, who has the production and upside, but has simply fallen out of favor under Liam Coen with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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Thomas was the 23rd overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft out of LSU, and as a rookie, he looked destined to carry on the Tigers' WR legacy started by Odell Beckham Jr. and proliferated by the likes of Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase. In his inaugural NFL campaign, Thomas posted 87 catches for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns. Those numbers earned him a spot in the Pro Bowl and a fourth-place finish in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.

When Coen came in last season, Thomas' number plummeted to 48 catches, 707 yards, and just two touchdowns. And so far in 2026, he has nine receptions for 105 yards and one TD. He is now surplus to requirements, for whatever reason, which is why he should be available come the NFL trade deadline.

With his pedigree and at just 23 years old (24 on Oct. 8), Thomas should have plenty left in the tank to return to the potential he showed as a rookie. If Patrick Mahomes can harness that potential, the Chiefs should really have something.

If nothing else. Thomas has been a sturdy and reliable pass-catcher for two-plus years at this point, and that's more than you can say about most of the Chiefs' WRs right now. Trading for Thomas will take more draft capital than signing Hill, but it is the smart (and morally defensible) way to go.