The DeAndre Hopkins rumors will never cease to end, and the latest suggets that a top AFC team may be bowing out of the sweepstakes.
Ever since the Arizona Cardinals released DeAndre Hopkins, the NFL world has not stopped speculating where Hopkins will end up in 2023. The top choices were his most rumored choices from the start of the offseason: the Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens.
The Buffalo Bills were also a heavily reported option due to their position needs, and for a moment, Bills fans thought Hopkins may have been throwing them a bone during free agency.
Enter Adam Schefter.
The ESPN analyst said on the latest episode of his podcast, "The Fastest 100 Days", that "people doubt he will wind up in Buffalo. They never say never, but if he wants his money I don't think he'll get it in Buffalo."
Money was what led Odell Beckham Jr. to sign with the Baltimore Ravens, and money could be what leads D-Hop to sign… somewhere other than Buffalo.
DeAndre Hopkins and Buffalo Bills may not be a suitable match
From a financial perspective, it seems unlikely that Hopkins would sign with either the Bills or the Chiefs. Both those teams have just a little more than $1 million in cap space right now, and Hopkins currently doesn't have a very cap-friendly deal.
His old contract with the Cardinals was going to pay him around $20 million in 2023 and $15 million in 2024 — that's a lot of cash for an injury-prone veteran on the wrong side of 30. Either of those AFC heavyweights may be better off picking a lower-risk, more affordable player to pad the receiver room.
The Bills in particular have had a wide receiver problem for the last several years, struggling to find someone reliable to pair with top threat Stefon Diggs. Hopkins in theory could pose as another elite vertical weapon, just not at his presumed price point.
No one knows for certain what Hopkins is looking for in free agency and whether he prioritizes winning rings over a lucrative contract.
Hopkins mentioned a bare-bones wish list during an appearance on a podcast, the gist of which was he wanted to play with the best players and to win. One could assume that means he would be more receptive to offers from tested Super Bowl contenders, but for now, Schefter says count the Bills out of the running.
