Report: Chiefs Trade WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette to Panthers

Kansas City sends one of its wideouts to Carolina in exchange for a potentially improved 2025 draft pick.

With the roster cutdown deadline being just hours away, the Kansas City Chiefs are getting out ahead of clearing up one spot on their roster. 

General manager Brett Veach is dealing from a position of strength as far as depth is concerned, as Kansas City reportedly traded wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette to the Carolina Panthers. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that the return is a swap of conditional 2025 seventh-round picks.

Trade: The #Panthers traded for #Chiefs WR and returner Ihmir Smith-Marsette in a swap of conditional 2025 seventh-rounders.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 29, 2023

The net gain for the Chiefs here admittedly isn't much but considering that Carolina is a rebuilding team with a young quarterback, there's reason to believe that this could lead to Kansas City possibly improving its seventh-round slot two drafts from now. With that said, a swap of conditional picks also complicates things a bit. This isn't an earth-shattering move. 

For the Chiefs to get anything in exchange for Smith-Marsette, someone who was almost surely going to be cut later on Tuesday due to the numbers game at receiver, is a plus — regardless of what it is. In three preseason games this year, the 24-year-old hauled in nine passes for a team-high 195 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. He finished second on the team in yards after the catch with 57, showcasing some of his athleticism on multiple occasions.

Since he entered the league as a fifth-round pick back in 2021, Smith-Marsette has played in 16 regular-season games. Logging a combined 156 offensive snaps with the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and the Chiefs, the former Iowa standout has six receptions for 131 yards and two touchdowns on his resume. He offers some special teams versatility as well, which could benefit his chances to stick around long-term in Carolina. 

Without Smith-Marsette in the fold, the Chiefs' wide receiver room is still pretty deep. The trio of Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore and Marquez Valdes-Scantling is at the top, with Justin Watson and Rashee Rice likely following them up in some order. Richie James and Justyn Ross are probable names to make the initial 53-man roster, which means that Kansas City had eight viable receivers before sending Smith-Marsette away. Now, the team clears up some space and may end up improving on a Day 3 draft pick in the process.

Read More: Chiefs Final 2023 53-Man Roster Projection