There’s been plenty of talk about the Kansas City Chiefs trading up from pick No. 9, but could they actually trade back? One NFL Insider says they’re thinking about it.


Chiefs GM Brett Veach speaks to media members during his pre-draft press conference.
Chiefs/YouTube

The majority of 2026 NFL Draft rumors and buzz to this point have pegged the Kansas City Chiefs as a team looking to move up in Round 1.

Reporting has indicated there have been conversations with at least one team in the top five. I tend to feel those exploratory calls are just the Chiefs being thorough. They’re doing their diligence in case a player they want is available, and they can make a move up. What about a move down, though?

A new report from an NFL Insider indicates that Brett Veach has put just as much thought into moving down as he has into moving up.

Adam Schefter: The Chiefs are thinking about moving back from No. 9

Speaking on ESPN’s “Get Up” morning show, NFL Insider Adam Schefter discussed the Arizona Cardinals at pick No. 3. He said the problem with trading back for the Cards is that there isn’t a particularly long list of teams looking to move up. That’s when he started talking about the Chiefs.

“I think if they stay there, they will (draft Jeremiyah Love), but the main question here is whether the Cardinals will actually stay at three,” Schefter said. “A lot of people around the league are wondering whether the Cardinals will move out. We know they’ve had exploratory phone calls. Those calls are expected to intensify as the draft gets closer, and maybe even begins, and there could be a team that wants to come up again. The question is, what teams are out there that can move up that far to number three? It’s not a long list. Again, the Chiefs have had some thought about it, but the Chiefs are thinking about moving back as much as they’re thinking about moving up… But it’s hard to imagine that there are a whole lot of options, which is why the Arizona Cardinals are waiting for that phone to ring to see if there’s a way out of three.”

Thinking about moving back and actually planning to move back are two separate things. The latter won’t likely happen until things start rolling on draft night. They should know pretty quickly how things will play out after the first few picks. That’ll determine whether they move up or start calling around about a move back.

Why I’m still skeptical about the Chiefs’ ability to move back from Pick No. 9

The Chiefs might have just as hard a time finding a trade partner to move back from No. 9 as the Cards at No. 3. There’s no shortage of teams looking to move back from the top 10 picks. There seems to be only a few teams looking to move up in Round 1. The Dallas Cowboys are consistently mentioned as a team that could trade up. In fact, the well-connected Peter Schrager had the Chiefs trading back with the Cowboys in his final mock draft. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles would also make a lot of sense. The New York Giants could always move up one spot from No. 10. Ultimately, it just comes down to which prospects are available.

I think the one thing that could really change the trading outlook is if the New York Jets did something shocking at No. 2. Let’s say they get wild and go with Alabama QB Ty Simpson. Suddenly, every non-quarterback is in play at pick No. 3. The Arizona Cardinals can ship that pick off to the highest bidder. That’d put the Titans at pick No. 4 in a great trade-down spot as well. The Giants at pick No. 5 could also then look to move out and so on. Pick No. 2 might be the true inflection point that could turn the early goings of Round 1 into a trade festival.

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