Bill Belichick delivers his verdict on Chiefs trading 6th-rd pick for Patriots’ Josh Uche

The Kansas City Chiefs may not look like the most explosive team in the National Football League but they are certainly not waiting to be dragged down by opposing teams this year. Despite suffering major injuries to key players like Rashee Rice, Isiah Pacheco and Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown, the Chiefs have kept on keeping on, as evidenced by their perfect 7-0 start to the season.

The Week 8 win over the Las Vegas Raiders served as DeAndre Hopkins' debut after the franchise traded for him last week. But it appears the Chiefs weren't exactly satisfied with standing pat after that move. Early on Monday, the franchise made another major trade, sending a 2026 sixth-round pick to the New England Patriots to bring OLB Josh Uche to town. Trade rumors gripped Uche over the weekend after he was a healthy scratch in the Patriots' 25-22 win over the New York Jets.

One man who was happy for the Chiefs' Josh Uche trade was former head coach Bill Belichick, who made an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show this afternoon to talk all things football.

"Josh Uche’s a really good rusher. He hasn’t had a chance to rush much this year for the Patriots since they’ve been behind a lot. The situation hasn’t been good. But he had a big year two years ago and had Matthew Judon on the other side. It was two good pass rushers," Belichick said of the Uche trade.

Uche had a breakout season in 2022 when he recorded 11.5 sacks.

"He’ll have a lot of opportunities to rush with Kansas City. I think that will really help him. He’s got surprising power for his size. He’s got excellent quickness and good get-off and he has some flexibility in coverage,” Belichick added.

---

Where Chiefs stand with Josh Uche trade

The Chiefs will have the opportunity to sign Uche to a long-term contract since his current deal is up at the end of the year. Uche's salary is also on the lower side since he is currently on a one-year, $3 million deal.

Notably, trade rumors started swirling around the Chiefs after they restructured the contract of OT Jawaan Taylor. The franchise converted his salary into a signing bonus, thereby creating $5.3 million in 2024 cap room, which is enough to accommodate Uche's deal.

Considering the Chiefs will also have Charles Omenihu back from Injured Reserve at some point this season, Uche's trade serves as a major signal that the Chiefs will stop at nothing in their chase of a Super Bowl three-peat.

---