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Chiefs offense defined by selfless WR room: 'Raising up that trophy is always better than being the No. 1 guy'

NEW ORLEANS -- DeAndre Hopkins walked the long road to his first Super Bowl. It took the three-time first-team All-Pro 12 years and a handful of pit stops to finally get to the biggest game of his career.

"I think I've done a lot over my career. I've been close," Hopkins said earlier this week. "The closest I've been was playing the Chiefs in 2019, and they came back on us. After that, I was like, 'Will I ever get a shot to get back to that game?' I stayed patient, man. So I think to be in this opportunity, to be here, for my career, this solidifies where I want to be."

It took joining a Kansas City Chiefs receiver room comprised of former No. 1 targets, a first-round rookie, and complementary parts for Hopkins to get to a Super Bowl.

He might no longer be that go-to target -- generating 41 catches for 437 yards and four touchdowns after a midseason trade that brought him to K.C. from Tennessee -- but Hopkins cares not about the stats. He just wants to hoist a Lombardi.

"My role with this team is whatever my role needs to be," he said. "Whatever I need to do. Whether it's going out blocking one play, going out making one catch. Whatever my role is, I think that's just how this team is and why we're here."

It's that selfless mentality that permeates through a remade Chiefs wide receiver corps. Kansas City's three starting WRs in the AFC Championship Game were all acquired in 2024 -- rookie Xavier Worthy (first-round pick), Marquise Brown (free agent), JuJu Smith-Schuster (free agent) -- and Hopkins, who joined the club in Week 8.

The quartet was all used to being a top target but has put aside any selfishness on the path toward a Super Bowl.

"For all of us, you know, we always look at the bigger picture of the goal in mind, which is, you know, obviously winning the Super Bowl," Smith-Schuster, who was on K.C.'s Super Bowl LVII-winning team in 2022, told NFL.com on Wednesday. "But at the end of the day, like, we all know we all can make plays and put in great positions. But I feel like for us who have been in that position, we know what it takes. And I always say, you know, raising up that trophy is always better than being the No. 1 guy on the team."

The offseason plan to inject speed back into the lineup was evident with general manager Brett Veach signing Brown to a one-year deal and trading up to draft Worthy. Rookie growing pains and an early injury to Brown scuffled those plans. Then a season-ending injury to Rashee Rice put K.C. in a big bind, leading to the import of Hopkins.

The group got healthier, and Worthy developed into a legit threat down the stretch. Brown's return helped open up the offense, particularly in the postseason.

"We're as healthy as we've been to this point, knock on wood," Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Wednesday. "You got to see that the last couple games with the receiving corps at least, and the running backs likewise are doing better there. But the receivers, yes, I'd tell you them being healthy gives you a better chance. Now, we're going against a good secondary on Sunday, and we've got to make sure that we're doing things the right way. I want to make sure we get these couple days of practice down. But I feel comfortable with that group. They work their tail off, they got experience in most areas there, and they love to play, and they seem to be on the same page with Patrick."

Worthy led Chiefs WRs with 638 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 2024, an indicator of how much Patrick Mahomes is spreading the ball around.

According to Eagles cornerback Darius Slay, Kansas City having multiple options instead of one go-to target in key spots makes Mahomes even more dangerous.

"It's harder because he shares the ball," Slay said on Monday. "Back when you had guys that were high-paid, that demand the ball -- like if Tyreek \[Hill\] was on the team making $30 million, a $30 million receiver is going to expect 10 to 12 targets. He's got guys willing to sacrifice all their targets to win. Whoever's open, he gets the ball to."

Worthy's emergence as more than just a clear-out deep threat and gadget player has aided the surge of the Chiefs' passing attack. He generated his first career game with 100-plus scrimmage yards in their AFC Championship Game win over the Bills -- a game in which K.C. put up a season-high 32 points.

Hopkins' leadership on and off the field has helped the rookie grow.

"I feel like Hop just came over and was that big brother to me," Worthy said. "Gave me all the trials and tribulations that he went through ... just me copying his footsteps and following his role."

According to Reid, Hopkins' leadership and willingness to be selfless had made all the difference.

"I knew we were getting a good player, played against him quite a little bit, but I didn't know the leadership part," Reid said. "He's been tremendous that way. He hasn't complained that we're spreading the ball around or utilizing other guys along with him. He's willing to share in that way. So that whole senior leadership part that he's brought, I really appreciated. He's a unique route runner. He knows how to set things up. He shared that with some of the guys, and I appreciate that part, too."

When a former star receiver who is used to being the No. 1 target puts his stats aside for the team's betterment, others fall in line. Kansas City has an entire receiver room full of selfless performers.