Breaking News :Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes address media following DeAndre Hopkins trade…. Read More

At the time of the interviews — Wednesday morning — the trade was yet to be official, so the head coach and quarterback had to approach the subject carefully.

Kansas City Chiefs fans who are hoping for head coach Andy Reid to comment on the team’s trade for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins may have to wait a few days.

Reid’s weekly media appearance on Wednesday came before the trade had been filed with the league, so it wasn’t official. Technically speaking, that would have made any of Reid’s comments about Hopkins subject to tampering.

“(General manager) [Brett] Veach is dealing with all that,” said Reid. “I’m hush on that.”

Pressed for information on whether Hopkins would practice Wednesday, the head coach playfully doubled down.

“I know nothing,” he said.

For what it’s worth, Hopkins was not present during the brief portion of practice available to the media.

Patrick Mahomes’ turn was a little more fruitful.
Once quarterback Patrick Mahomes was at the podium, the media approached the subject in hypothetical terms.

What if, say, a pass-catcher was coming into the building that had to be ready in say… four days time?

“I think the biggest thing is just getting with the coaches,” said Mahomes. “I think our coaches do a great job of getting guys up to speed. You’ve seen that throughout this year already: bringing in guys, getting them up to speed fast and then letting them go out there [to] make an impact and do what they’re great at. And so that’s stuff that I think the coaches really do well. Then me as a quarterback? I just try to be on the same page with the guys that are in there whenever I’m taking a snap.”

And what if — say, the Chiefs were to bring in a wide receiver who could handle contested catches well — what would be his comfort level with such a target?

“Yeah, I think in my time, we’ve had receivers that can make some of those contested catches, and once you build that relationship and build that trust, you put him up there and let guys go out there and make plays,” answered Mahomes. “I think that’s what’s special about coach Reid’s offense: it adapts to whoever’s in there. He has different ways he can utilize your strengths. And then it’s my job to go out there and put guys in chances, give them chances to go out there and make plays.”

The Chiefs aren’t unfamiliar with bringing in a wide receiver midseason. In 2022, Kansas City traded with the New York Giants for Kadarius Toney — and in 2023, Kansas City traded with the New York Jets for Mecole Hardman.

Those circumstances provided Mahomes a blueprint for how to integrate someone into the offense quickly.

“I think the biggest thing for me is just whenever a new guy gets into the building, it’s just getting on that same page as quickly as possible,” explained Mahomes. “Even with guys like Kareem [Hunt] in the running back position. Just being able to talk with him throughout the protection calls, talk with him kind of throughout the plays, making sure he knows what his job is to do, and then letting him go out and execute it.

I’ve dealt with that throughout my entire career, bringing new guys in — that’s part of the NFL. And, like I said, I think the coaches do a great job of making sure guys are prepared so they can go out there and have success.”