Teams from the AFC West Division are doing their shares of putting the best offseason additions in their ranks. These ball clubs acquired the best they could possibly grab to augment their teams with what they saw for a shot at the Super Bowl.
Denver Broncos: Russell Wilson, QB
The Denver Broncos acquired Russell Wilson together with a 4th round pick from the Seattle Seahawks. The Bronco scouts were out for a quarterback replacement since Peyton Manning went into retirement.
Denver is confident of their acquisition that they traded their two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, quarterback Drew Lock, defensive lineman Shelby Harris, and tight end Noah Fant. The deal happened last March 16, 2022, after Wilson severed ties with Seattle.
Jody Allen, Chairman of the Seattle Seahawks said that Wilson initiated the trade after a disagreement with management.
Allen further stated that Wilsons did not approve of Seattle firing Offensive Line Coach Mike Solari and Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
Wilson rebutted that he did not insinuate the trade, but later on, agreed that the decision was made by both parties. He can immediately change the team’s goals in the AFC and help the team’s young receivers play to a higher level.
To sum it up, The Denver Broncos trade Russell Wilson for a total of eight players. A justified end because Wilson is a 9x Pro Bowl selection in 10 seasons, and a 2x legitimate MVP contender (2017, 2020).
He has more career touchdown passes than Joe Montana (292 to 273), whose leading career touchdown recipient is Tyler Lockett (45). He came off a “down” season that saw him finish 2021 ranked 4th in passer rating (103.1), 5th in YPA (7.8), and 4th in Y/C (12.0).
Kansas City Chiefs: JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR
Last season, nn the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, Wide Receiver Juju Smith-Schuster recorded five receptions for 26 yards. Eventually, they lost playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers to a score of 42–21 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Smith-Schuster signed with the Kansas City Chiefs last March 20, 2022, for a one-year $10.75 million maximum contract with incentives.
The Chiefs must augment their line of receivers after losing Tyreek Hill, Byron Pringle, and Demarcus Robinson. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes will now have the faculties of Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore, and Justyn Ross in his arsenal.
The array has Smith-Schuster exuding the rest of the receptionists. He has to strengthen up and put his past shoulder injury on the side.
The former Pittsburgh Steeler made a total of 97 receptions, 831 yards, and a career-high 9 touchdowns. 2018 statistically displayed peaks in receptions (111) and yardage (1,426). He is certainly capable of being more than just a possession receiver.
Schuster has a colorful array of accolades including being the first player in the NFL.
History to score five touchdowns before his 21st birthday and the first to have two offensive touchdowns of at least 97 yards. He is the youngest NFL player to grab at least 10 receiving yards in a game; additionally, the youngest receiver with 1,500 and 2,500 receiving yards.
In the same vein, during his stay with the Steelers, Smith-Schuster had the longest touchdown reception in franchise history (97 yards). He is also the youngest receiver to make 1000 receiving yards in a season (2018) and has the fewest games to reach 1,500 in receiving yards.
Las Vegas Raiders: Davante Adams, WR
Davante Adams played for the Green Bay Packers after his college days with the Fresno State Bulldogs. The Packers traded him to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for their 2022 first-round pick and second-round pick during this year’s offseason.
The exchange was an opportunity to be reunited with Derek Carr, his college quarterback. Carr may be a level down from his former quarterback with the Packers, Aaron Rodgers, but he could be a spark plug for new head coach Josh McDaniels.
Adams inked to a record-setting contract worth $141.25 million over five years with the Las Vegas Raiders. Adam’s last season with Green Bay bore through volume and efficiency. He was third among receivers in yards per route run and second in target share.
In the last four seasons, Adams leads all receivers in target share (27.6%) and is fifth in yards per route run.
As of 2021, Adams holds a record of 669 receptions over 8,121 receiving yards with 73 receiving touchdowns. He is also one of the best red zone threats in the league. Over the past four seasons, he comprised 30.7% of the Packers’ red zone targets, leading all receivers in the red zone target rate.
The next highest player is at 25.7% His 1.61 yards per route run also ranks first among receivers with at least 100 such routes.
In 2021, the Raiders ranked 26th in points per red zone trip and 27th in touchdowns per red zone trip. Adams will try to emulate and better his track record to prove he’s still elite without Aaron Rodgers.
Los Angeles Chargers: Khalil Mack, OLB
Los Angeles has a solid offensive Linebacker in Joey Bosa. He and Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau are the only Chargers defensive players selected to four Pro Bowls over the first five seasons of a career.
Bosa was ranked #32 by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021 list. The famed OLB earned his fourth trip to the Pro Bowl but did not play after pulling out of the game due to an injury.
The Chargers needed help for Joey Bosa. The LA Chargers got what they needed and acquired Khalil Mack from the Chicago Bears in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft (Jaquan Brisker) and a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The trade reunited Mack with Chargers head coach Brandon Staley who was his outside linebackers coach in Mack’s first year with the Chicago Bears.
Mack played in seven games during the 2021 season before ending the year with foot surgery. He was placed on injured reserve on November 19 finishing the season with 19 tackles and six sacks. He may have lost a step but remains one of the most accomplished pass rushers in the NFL.