Jeff Darlington: DeAndre Hopkins to KC Chiefs ‘Would Make So Much Sense'

The Kansas City Chiefs lost JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman to the free agent market this offseason and in their places, the team is largely relying on the internal talent that was already on the roster to step up in 2023-24. The 2023 NFL Draft addition of second-round receiver Rashee Rice is notable, yet Kansas City still doesn't have a true No. 1 target (outside of tight end Travis Kelce) that quarterback Patrick Mahomes can throw to this coming season.

Three-time All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins was a popular name in hypothetical trade scenarios, but now the league will once again be competing to court him. The Arizona Cardinals announced on Friday that the organization released Hopkins — eating a whopping $22.6 million in 2023 dead cap in the process — thus making him a free agent for all 31 other NFL clubs to pursue.

In the immediate aftermath of Arizona's breaking news, Jeff Darlington of ESPN took to Twitter to single out one team that makes a ton of sense for the 30-year-old wideout to join: Kansas City. Below is what Darlington had to say about a potential Hopkins-Chiefs union:

Totally speculative — but a short-term deal with the Chiefs would make so much sense to me. The fact Hopkins is available via free agency shows you his value needs to be improved. Nowhere better to do it right now than KC. Win-win.

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Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) on Friday, May 26, 2023 at 12:11 p.m. CT

Recently appearing on the I AM ATHLETE podcast, Hopkins listed Mahomes as one of the quarterbacks he'd love to catch passes from in the second act of his career. The veteran receiver is coming off an abbreviated 2022 campaign that saw him start just nine games, although he still managed to haul in 64 passes for 717 yards and three touchdowns. Hopkins, who has played for the Cardinals and the Houston Texans over the course of his 10-year career, is just two seasons removed from a 1,407-yard 2020 effort that earned him second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors.

The Chiefs' salary cap situation makes it very difficult to envision the club signing Hopkins to a deal as things stand, even in the event that general manager Brett Veach is legitimately interested in making it work. Spotrac estimates that Kansas City's cap space is just under $1.1M as of the publishing of this article and the NFLPA's website lists that figure at just under $2.81M. There are multiple ways in which the team can manufacture some additional cap space and the fact that Hopkins is now a free agent makes things a bit easier, although it also means that less cash-strapped teams could also make heavy pushes for him.

On Friday, ESPN's Josh Weinfuss listed the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots as those that "had been among the teams reportedly interested in pursuing Hopkins."

Read More: Patrick Mahomes Discusses Contract Situation With Kansas City Chiefs