Not long after trading away their 2021 NFL Draft first-round pick this offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs have traded to acquire a 2018 first-round pick.
The Chiefs orchestrated a trade Thursday with the Minnesota Vikings for cornerback Mike Hughes and a 2022 seventh-round pick in exchange for a 2022 sixth-round pick, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported. The Chiefs and Vikings later announced the trade.
Hughes, selected 30th overall by the Vikings in 2018, suffered a torn ACL as a rookie and played in only four games in 2020 for Minnesota due to a neck injury. Thusly, the Chiefs are taking a chance on a still-promising, but injury-plagued corner who's still just 24.
The deal to bring in Hughes is the latest in an eventful offseason for the Chiefs following their Super Bowl LV loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
As aforementioned, the Chiefs traded away their 2021 first-round pick, shipping it to the Ravens to bring in offensive tackle Orlando Brown as one of myriad moves made to bolster the offensive line.
Hughes, obtained for the low price tag of a sixth-round pick, will look for a second chance individually and to improve the team's cornerback corps, which currently features L'Jarius Sneed, Charvarius Ward and the recently signed Will Parks.
The Vikings, meanwhile, in their efforts to move on from a down season defensively have cut ties with a first-rounder who didn't pan out, which isn't unsurprising considering, when healthy, Hughes only tallied seven starts in 24 games across three seasons. There's also Minnesota's addition of Patrick Peterson, a veteran getting a shot at one last run with the Vikings as Hughes is a young talent getting a second shot at making a first-round impact.