Josh Uche hasn’t even played a down for the Kansas City Chiefs yet. Still, the trade to acquire him is aging rather neatly for the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.

Kansas City landed Uche for next to nothing, sending a 2026 sixth-round pick to the New England Patriots. After falling out of favor in Foxborough, he got re-routed to the Chiefs. However, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer recently reported that the former second-round selection nearly got dealt elsewhere last year — for a more substantial return.

Per Breer, the Patriots came “very close” to sending Uche to the Seattle Seahawks. Ultimately and begrudgingly, New England hung onto him only to presumably settle for a “lower price” from the Chiefs. So, the rich get richer, thanks to an old AFC rival’s ineptitude and poor decision-making.

Chiefs won Josh Uche trade even more handily than we thought

As Breer alludes to, the Chiefs trading for Uche is a textbook case of proper risk management from a title contender. Kansas City is operating as a “championship program buying low on a guy with some natural ability and untapped potential,” the insider states.

In essence, the Chiefs are playing chess while the Patriots and the rest of the NFL are playing checkers. Kansas City is eyeing the league’s first-ever three-peat, capitalizing on other teams’ organizational dysfunction and mishaps. Their front office, led by general manager Brett Veach, is ostensibly always ready to pounce.

The Chiefs are a well-oiled machine — Uche is a testament to that. Their constantly aggressive yet calculated roster-construction approach is part of why Kansas City is considered the modern-day dynasty and in a position to chase history. Suddenly joining football’s premier squad, the ex-Patriot should benefit greatly from a change of scenery.

Uche’s involvement with the Pats declined steadily this season. His snap count was dwindling rapidly in recent weeks. He amassed 13 tackles (two for loss) and two sacks across seven games. The 26-year-old hasn’t been as productive over the past two campaigns but gets a chance to re-establish himself in Kansas City.

Only three seasons removed from an 11.5-sack effort, Uche has flashed the ability to be an impactful edge rusher. The Chiefs only giving up a late Day 3 draft choice for him could be a laughably massive bargain.