Getty Chris Olave of the New Orleans Saints.

Currently sitting at the bottom of the AFC West with a 1-2 record, the Kansas City Chiefs feel nothing like the offensive juggernaut we’ve come to expect.

Patrick Mahomes is still incredible, but his WRs room feels like it’s being held together by duct tape. Rashee Rice is serving a six-game suspension, Xavier Worthy hasn’t been fully healthy after his Week 1 shoulder injury and Travis Kelce has slowed quite a bit.

Through three games, Kansas City has scored just six offensive touchdowns — hardly the standard Andy Reid and Mahomes have set together. A few of the league’s top insiders believe Kansas City may do something about its current lack of playmakers.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN named the Chiefs as the one team that “needs to be the most active on the trade block,” and his colleague, Dan Graziano had an interesting name as a trade option: Chris Olave.

Should the Kansas City Chiefs try to Trade for Saints WR Chris Olave?

GettyThe Kansas City Chiefs would upgrade their offense in a big way if they trade for wide receiver Chris Olave.

“The Saints don’t look as if they’re going anywhere this season, and they have Rashid Shaheed on an expiring contract and Chris Olave with one year (his fifth-year option) left on his deal,” Graziano wrote on September 24, adding:

“Would their new coaching staff make either or both of those players available? … I don’t think we can rule out teams such as Buffalo, Kansas City, Green Bay and/or San Francisco if the right impact receiver becomes available.”

Mahomes has been forced to work underneath without a true field-tilting wideout since Tyreek Hill left. Adding Olave would change all that. He’d help stabilize the passing game and stretch defenses vertically in ways the team’s current WRs corps can’t.

Olave Would Give K.C. a True WR1

Olave, 25, has been a bright spot in New Orleans since the Saints drafted him 11th overall in 2022. He topped 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons — 1,042 as a rookie and 1,123 in Year 2 — while consistently commanding a No. 1 receiver workload. Even in an injury-marred 2024, when concussions sidelined him for nine games, he still displayed the same silky route running and deep-threat ability that made him a first-round pick.

Olave has hovered around 2.2 yards per route run since entering the league — an elite number — and his target share has lived above 25% whenever he’s on the field. As a rookie he led all first-year wideouts in yards per route run, and when healthy in 2024 he cleared 80 yards in four of six full games. He tends to win with suddenness and separation, and the Chiefs could use a that right now.

New Orleans exercised his fifth-year option this spring, keeping him under control through 2026 at a cost-controlled rate. His cap hit is just over $6 million this season.

Would the Saints really part with him though? At 0–3 and staring at another reset under new head coach Kellen Moore, it’s possible New Orleans could choose to stockpile picks rather than commit big money to a star receiver right now.

With no clear long-term answer at quarterback right now, trading Olave for premium draft capital wouldn’t be unheard of. For Kansas City, it’d be worth at least looking into, as a Mahomes-Olave pairing has limitless potential.

Beth Mishler-Elmore Beth Mishler-Elmore is a Heavy sports contributor based in the Midwest, focusing on the NFL, NBA and WNBA. More about Beth Mishler-Elmore