DeAndre Hopkins Facing Harsh Reality of Free Agency
Travel back to the build-up to the 2023 NFL Draft, where the Arizona Cardinals were full steam ahead on trying to wheel-and-deal wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
The Kansas City Chiefs received permission to speak with Hopkins in hopes of working out a new contract before acquiring the All-Pro receiver. Hopkins' resume is a mile long and will receive strong consideration to enter Canton five years after he finally hangs it up, yet the NFL is a league that operates under the "what can you do for me now" mantra as opposed to paying for the past.
Hopkins - sitting at 31-years-old with a six-game suspension and injury struggles during his final two years with the Cardinals - simply wasn't worth the $19.45 million in salary he was set to receive in 2023.
That was evident for a rebuilding roster in Arizona while remaining consistent for teams trying to trade for him. That was evident for the Chiefs and every other interested team, too.
A deal was reportedly worked out between the two sides before Odell Beckham Jr. signed with the Baltimore Ravens on a one-year deal worth $15 million.
Hopkins decided he wasn't taking anything less than that, and the Chiefs weren't willing to play ball.
Beckham inked that deal on April 9 - and nearly three months after, Hopkins now finds himself as a free agent trying to find a similar deal. He's been met with little success.
Hopkins has taken visits with the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans thus far, and many believe a recent report through ESPN's Diana Russini was an attempt to gather interest from other teams
“Hopkins is going over some of the offers from both of those teams, the Titans and the Patriots. He’s mulling over and trying to come out with a decision with what he wants to do, and I was told to be very patient here. This isn’t something that is going to go down in the next 24-48 hours," said the report.
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer would agree.
"What this tells me ... is that he's still holding out hope that he's going to play for a contender - a true contender like Buffalo or Kansas City," Breer said (h/t Patriots Country).
"The one thing you want to watch here: Kansas City has almost no cap space. They're working on a long-term deal for Chris Jones, their star defensive tackle, to lower his cap number. If that happens, the door could open back up for him going back to the Chiefs.
"I think really what he's waiting for is something like that to materialize, because the money isn't great," Breer said. "It's not the Odell Beckham level, which was what he was looking for, and absent the money, I think he does want to play for a true contender."
Contenders such as the Chiefs and Buffalo Bills among others will certainly throw their hat in the ring.
In all reality, Hopkins would be smart to wait until training camp to sign somewhere - which seems likely at this point.
Hopkins still has some juice left in the tank, and he deserves to be on a squad that can make a legitimate push for a Super Bowl that fans in Houston and Arizona all want to see him win.
However, it's clear Hopkins has been looking for one last payday. As of now, that's just not in the realm of what reality is giving him and his camp.
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