Weighing the Pros and Cons of a Brandon Aiyuk Trade for the Chiefs

With the 2026 NFL Draft over with, the Kansas City Chiefs are in another slow stretch. Not much is happening aside from rookie minicamp and the start of the offseason program soon, but that doesn't mean there's complete inactivity in the front office.

In the coming weeks, general manager Brett Veach is sure to continue evaluating his roster. Could the Chiefs benefit from adding at a few different positions?

Many believe wide receiver is one of those spots. Given the ongoing situation with the San Francisco 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk, should Kansas City pounce? Tucker Franklin and Matt Verderame discussed all of that and more on the latest episode of the That Football Show podcast on KC Sports Network.

Should the Chiefs trade for Brandon Aiyuk?

In the aftermath of the draft, 49ers general manager and president of football operations John Lynch made it clear that San Francisco still doesn't intend to roster Aiyuk for the long haul. Lynch is open for business on the trade front, making it only natural to wonder whether the Chiefs make sense.

On one hand, Aiyuk's 2023 season showcased serious star-level production. In 16 games, he hauled in 75 passes for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. He's going to be cheap after some contract guarantees were voided; the star wideout's base salary for 2026 is just $1.21 million. Even the cash-strapped Chiefs could make something work there.

The flip side, however, paints a far less appealing picture. Aiyuk hasn't played since Week 7 of the 2024 campaign, when he suffered a significant knee injury against these very Chiefs. He turned 28 in March and could be at or near the end of his prime, all things considered.

Is the juice worth the squeeze? That's up for serious debate as the month of May kicks off.

Jersey numbers for Chiefs' 2026 NFL Draft class revealed

As Joshua Brisco of Chiefs On SI covered, Kansas City's rookie class has its jersey numbers.

First-round cornerback Mansoor Delane is sporting No. 5 after donning the No. 4 during college. There's a direct conflict with wide receiver Rashee Rice, so this could be Delane's new normal as time rolls on.

Other highlights from the class include defensive tackle Peter Woods' No. 99, as well as defensive end R Mason Thomas' No. 34. Brisco writes that Thomas' number is legal for a linebacker but not a lineman. Here's the rest of the 2026 crop:

The offseason roster has 90 players on it, so repeat numbers are commonplace. These may not be permanent designations for some players.

New helmets brewing in Kansas City?

Last, but potentially not least, it's speculation time when it comes to the Chiefs' helmets.

In a pre-rookie minicamp post from Thursday, one of the four photos contained something interesting. In the back-right corner of the image (tweet below), an all-red facemask is spotted attached to what appears to be a standard red helmet.

Easter egg in the background? pic.twitter.com/mGgHABMNYG
— Doug 🧢 (Blue Checkmark) (@dwoverdrive) May 1, 2026

There haven't been many rumblings about a potential alternate uniform for the Chiefs, but that's sure to get the social media world buzzing in a dead part of the NFL calendar.

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