Could the Jaguars Be on DeAndre Hopkins' List of Top Destinations?
DeAndre Hopkins may be on his way out of the valley after it was announced today that the Arizona Cardinals plan to try and trade the All-Pro wideout this offseason per Jordan Schultz of The Score.
After completing his tenth season, Hopkins currently holds career marks of 853 catches for 11,298 yards and 71 touchdowns. In the 2022 season alone Hopkins was able to record 717 yards on 64 catches despite serving a six-game suspension.
Stats never tell the full tale, but in this case it is evident that Hopkins still has plenty left in the tank to offer potential suitors.
Could one of those suitors very well may be the Jacksonville Jaguars?
It won’t come cheap, as Hopkins recently signed a two-year extension that pays him $19.45 million in 2023 and $14.9 million in 2024. However, Dave Burns and John Gambarado of the ‘Burns & Gambo Show’ noted that the Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars could be primary contenders for the wideout’s services.
“Yeah, I’ve been told several times over the course of the last five or six weeks that it’s very possible that he’s gonna ask out, that he’s not happy, that he’s going to want to go somewhere else,” Gambarado said.
“I’ve even heard today from people very close to the situation that, you know, that the preferences for him would be the Jaguars and the Chargers. The Jags because he could be, you know, with Lawrence (QB Trevor Lawrence) and Pederson (Head Coach Doug Pederson). Could be his best shot at a title to go with one of those teams. You know, the problem is that each guy has a highly-paid wide receiver. The Jags have Kirk (WR Christian Kirk), then the Chargers with Mike Williams (WR Mike Williams). Maybe they get off of (WR) Keenan Allen. It’s just a preference I’ve heard from people close to Hopkins that that’s two teams he would like to go to, but we gotta see how it plays out.”
It is important to note that Hopkins has leverage over his next destination because of a no-trade clause in his contract. Nonetheless, the Jaguars being mentioned on the short list of teams speaks volumes to the culture and success that came with Doug Pederson’s first year in Duval County.
Additionally, the major appeal for outside talent stems from the quickly established rapport between Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars' wide receivers. The result is newcomers Zay Jones, Christian Kirk, and tight end Evan Engram all providing meaningful contributions to a playoff-level offense. For a player of DeAndre Hopkins' caliber, stability at quarterback and the potential to make an early impact are surely factors as to why Jacksonville emerged as a desirable destination.
“It is rare,” Pederson said when asked about the immediate impact of the new offensive weapons.
“Maybe one guy can do that, but when you have three guys come in and do that, it is rare, and I think they’ve since set some good benchmarks for themselves and obviously our team. They’ve done an outstanding job, and it’s just a credit to each individual man for their work ethic, coming in and plugging in with Trevor right away, working and paying attention to detail, as we talk about. They’re all good players, and they’ve had impacts for us, and [we] probably wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for those three on offense, for sure.”
