The list of expected suitors for DeAndre Hopkins is fairly well-known at this point, but other teams will no doubt at least kick the tires on the idea of signing the All-Pro wideout. The Giants are a member of that group. 
Hopkins has officially been released by the Cardinals, leaving him free to sign anywhere on the open market. A number of Super Bowl contenders (particularly in the AFC) have been connected to him throughout the offseason, given his own remarks and the value he would add to any team’s passing attacks. The Chiefs and Bills are currently considered the favorites to sign him, though a Browns deal reuniting him with Deshaun Watson could also be in play.
The Giants will look into Hopkins as a possible addition, head coach Brian Daboll said on Wednesday. GM Joe Schoen was involved in the team’s work on Odell Beckham Jr. last offseason and through his year-long free agency period. The latter ended up signing with the Ravens, while the Giants turned their attention elsewhere with respect to their pass-catching corps.
“Like last year, anytime there’s someone that’s available that’s a free agent, I’d say Joe and his staff are gonna look into it, research it,” Daboll said, via Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. “We talk about a lot of different players. So regardless of who it is, that’s part of our job is to make sure we’re doing our due diligence.”
New York’s most impactful addition so far in 2023 has been tight end Darren Waller, who could be in line to operate as a de-facto No. 1 receiver if healthy. At the WR spot, they signed former Colt Parris Campbell while retaining Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins and Sterling Shepard. Hopkins, a five-time Pro Bowler, has a considerably longer track record than the rest of the team’s receiver room. Leonard also notes that the Giants are one of a ‘handful” of teams which were expected to be involved in a pursuit of the 30-year-old.
However, New York has just $3.8MM in cap space at the moment, a figure which puts them in a similar financial situation to Kansas City and Buffalo. The Giants also have plenty of work to do on the Saquon Barkley extension front, something which is likely a higher priority for the team in the long term. As a result, it would be a stretch to consider them Hopkins frontrunners as of now.
The Bills or KC make the most sense among all the cash-strapped teams. The Giants are in building mode with an average (at best) QB.
The flirtation with Hopkins is Schoen’s not so subtle way of telling Barkley to sign your tag now or see your salary slot go to someone else.
@CTbronx7 / A subtle threat of that nature is so idiotic that even Gettleman wouldn’t have attempted it. Hopkins couldn’t sub for Barkley if his life depended on it.
The Giants would be interesting as an up and comer-they have the money, depending on how the Barkley negotiations go, and appear to be on the rise. I don’t hate Jones, and I think that he brings a lot to the table as a runner and leadership/teammate wise, but does Hopkins want to play with an outside the top ten type of quarterback for the end of his career? If he does, what would it take for him to swallow that? Money? Environment? Good teammates?
The Giants look better, but certainly are not considered contenders (in a good division at that), and much of their rise can be attributed to a player that Hopkins’ salary would be cutting into. The other teams that Hopkins is looking at have established wingmen for Hopkins to operate alongside so that he does not have to carry the offense as he’s done in the past-the Chiefs have Kelce, and the Bills have Diggs. The Giants did just acquire Waller, but this will be his first year in the system after a season with injuries. It would take a good deal of money to convince Hopkins, I think, and I think that he’d like to hook on with a team that’s already in gear to contend instead. But that’s only my personal opinion.
If he signs with the Giants, it’s a pure money move, not a push for a ring as he alluded to previously.
Agreed for the most part, but the Giants are a rising team right now (which could easily crash to earth after one year of success and a big QB deal). If they maintain their current pace, they could make the playoffs again in the new expanded setup, even if Philadelphia and Dallas do as expected and are playoff teams. It would mostly be the money that they’d have to appeal to Hopkins with, but they have a little more momentum-wise than some others.
I don’t consider New York a contender, but it’s a step up from, say, Carolina or Houston or Chicago or some team that is not pegged as a playoff contender. Those teams can only offer money, unless Hopkins is going completely against what we all expect and wants a new team to play on well past this year (which is, again, the antithesis to what we all rightfullyy expect).
The Cardinals essentially paid him $22 million to not be on their team. Sign him at the risk of wrecking your team’s mojo – by setting a bad example for your young guys in terms of workouts/practice habits, bad mouthing coaches, fighting with teammates, etc.