Jaguars Listed as a Darkhorse Team To Sign DeAndre Hopkins

The chances of the Jacksonville Jaguars seriously pursuing former Pro Bowl and All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins seem slim on a good day, but that won't stop the football world from wondering.

In a CBS Sports list of five potential darkhorse teams for the ex-Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals star, the Jaguars came in at No. 4, just behind the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, and Detroit Lions.

Hopkins back to the AFC South? The Jaguars are in position to establish themselves as the new kings of the division, but they didn't have an incredible offseason. They lost pass rusher Arden Key and right tackle Jawaan Taylor, plus left tackle Cam Robinson is expected to be suspended for violating the NFL's policy on performance enhancing drugs. Calvin Ridley was a solid addition to a wide receiving corps that includes Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, but this is not seen as one of the more elite groups in the NFL. Adding Hopkins would certainly boost this offense -- and team as a whole,"

CBS wrote.

Trevor Lawrence is coming off of a career year, and Doug Pederson will want to keep that mojo going. He could bring in a veteran wideout while pitching him the idea of sweeping the Houston Texans each year he's there. If you were curious, Jacksonville has $12.26 million in cap space, good for No. 13 in the league.

Hopkins has slowed down in terms of production the last two seasons, appearing in just 19 games and recording 106 catches for 1,289 yards and 11 touchdowns. This included 64 catches for 717 yards and three touchdowns, with Hopkins tying a career-low in yards per reception with 11.2.

The Jaguars are currently fourth in spending at wide receiver with $41,963,527. The Jaguars already have big investments in Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, while Calvin Ridley and Evan Engram will also be pushing for bigger deals moving forward.

With that said, there has been genuine substance to a Hopkins-Jaguars pairing, at least from the Hopkins' side. In January, Dave Burns and John Gambarado of the ‘Burns & Gambo Show’ noted that the Los Angeles Chargers and Jaguars could be primary contenders for the wideout’s services if it was up to him.

“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.”