DeAndre Hopkins

Latest On DeAndre Hopkins’ Free Agency

June 19th, 2023 at 7:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following their free agency visit, the Patriots were making a push to sign DeAndre Hopkins. The former All-Pro wideout is believed to be intrigued by the idea of joining the Pats, but he remains unsigned.

Visits with both the Patriots and Titans are believed to have gone well, Albert Breer of SI.com notes, and veteran NFL reporter Mike Giardi offers that each team told the high-profile UFA he still offers “elite” capabilities (Twitter link). Like Dalvin Cook, however, Hopkins is taking his time surveying the market. Waiting on a potential injury or a team suddenly growing concerned about its receiving corps — scenarios that could come to pass during training camp — is also factoring into Hopkins’ decision-making, Giardi adds.

Hopkins and Bill Belichick spent time in one-on-one meetings during the Pats summit, per Breer, who adds the 10-year veteran remains close with Titans HC Mike Vrabel. That said, it looks like Hopkins is holding out hope teams with better Super Bowl LVIII odds will re-enter the equation. Absent big money, Hopkins is aiming to join a contender, Breer added during an NBC Sports Boston appearance (video link).

The Ravens’ Odell Beckham Jr. contract blew up Cardinals-Chiefs negotiations for Hopkins, who would have been bound for Kansas City on an adjusted deal. With Beckham securing $15MM fully guaranteed despite missing all of last season and having suffered two ACL tears since October 2020, Hopkins balked at taking a pay cut. Cardinals talks with the Chiefs and Bills ceased, and both Buffalo and Kansas City have drifted a bit compared to their spots on the Hopkins radar when Arizona first released him. But neither Tennessee nor New England appears to have blown Hopkins away with an offer, per Breer, potentially reopening the door for the Chiefs or Bills.

The Bills created some 2023 cap space by extending Ed Oliver but used that savings to add Leonard Floyd. They hold $5.5MM in space. The Chiefs are at just $651K, carrying the league’s lowest figure exiting minicamp. But Kansas City remains at work on a Chris Jones extension. While Jones is likely asking for a contract closer to Aaron Donald‘s $31.7MM per year than Jeffery Simmons‘ No. 2 defensive tackle deal ($23.5MM AAV), the Chiefs extending their All-Pro lineman would drop his cap number from its present $28.3MM place. That would create cap room for Kansas City to potentially re-enter the fray, and Hopkins — who has spoken highly of teaming with Patrick Mahomes on multiple occasions this offseason — can afford to be patient.

Regarding the New England fit, Hopkins and Bill O’Brien look to be back on favorable terms despite the 2020 Houston separation. And Belichick likely addressed potential concerns about Hopkins’ recent history of not practicing fully, famed ex-Patriots O-line coach Dante Scarnecchia said (via MassLive.com’s Karen Guregian). In-season practice schedules certainly do not present the grind they once did, with the CBA capping the number of padded workouts to 13 over the course of the regular season. But Hopkins has battled multiple injuries since his most recent Pro Bowl season (2020) and has missed nine games for health reasons over the past two years.

Although Hopkins did not begin his visit itinerary looking to take much of a discount from the $19.4MM salary he was due to make with the Cardinals, the first two meetings not producing take-notice money adds intrigue to this situation. The Bills and Chiefs could be back in the mix soon, but for now, the Titans and Pats are still interested.

Latest On DeAndre Hopkins, Patriots

June 15th, 2023 at 10:00pm CST by Ben Levine

DeAndre Hopkins‘ visit with the Patriots has come to an end, and it sounds like there’s serious interest from both sides. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets that there’s “definitely intrigue from player and team” following the meeting. Meanwhile, Jeff Howe of The Athletic tweets that the Patriots are “making a push” for the free agent wideout. Hopkins posted about the visit on Instagram, posting a picture of himself and Matt Judon with the caption “La Familia” (per ESPN’s Mike Reiss).

It sounds like there’s some building optimism towards a deal. Howe notes that while Hopkins “has departed Gillette Stadium,” he’s still remaining local. There was a report earlier this week that Hopkins could consider additional visits following his scheduled stops in Tennessee and New England. However, no definitive additional suitors have emerged since that time, so Hopkins’ choice may come down to the Titans and Patriots.

Fowler previously reported that Hopkins has been in no rush to sign with a team and could wait until closer to training camp to ink a deal (via Reiss). The Patriots are also set to be off for a month after finishing their offseason program tomorrow.

Hopkins would be an intriguing addition to a receivers corps that lacks a clear number one WR. The Patriots let Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor walk this offseason, adding receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and tight end Mike Gesicki to a grouping of targets that also includes DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton, and tight end Hunter Henry.

While Hopkins will be entering his age-31 season in 2023, he’d still provide more upside than any of the team’s current options. The veteran missed a chunk of games due to suspension in 2022, but he still managed to finish the year with 64 catches for 717 yards and three touchdowns. His 79.7 yards per game was a massive improvement from his 2021 campaign (57.2 ypg), and his 2022 average would have led the Patriots by a significant margin.

While a Hopkins signing could come at the expense of one of the team’s current wideouts, it’d still be a massive addition in what will be a crucial year for Mac Jones. The quarterback flashed his first-round pedigree during his rookie campaign, but after the Patriots replaced Josh McDaniels with former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia (plus a sprinkle of former ST coordinator Joe Judge), Jones took a step back in 2022. The Patriots will have to make a decision on the QB’s fifth-year option following the 2023 season, so it’s crucial that the organization puts him in a position to succeed before making the commitment.

“I think DeAndre is a great player. You watch his film from college all the way through the NFL, he’s done a great job. So obviously we’d love to have him, but we do have a great group of guys,” Jones said earlier this week (via Reiss).

“I’ve been really pleased with the playmakers we have on the team; we’ve come out here and really bought into the system. We have a good group and I feel like we need to keep growing together and whoever is in that room, we’re going to try to dominate together.”

While considering the merits of adding Hopkins to their team, the Patriots will also have to consider that they haven’t gotten an extended look at their major FA acquisition. Per Mike Giardi (on Twitter), Smith-Schuster has been dealing with “physical ailments” throughout minicamp and has spoken to “how challenging this playbook is to learn.” The learning curve is one thing, but Giardi notes that the injuries are especially concerning since the Chiefs were forced to manage the veteran for the second half of last season. The Patriots will be counting on Smith-Schuster to replace some of the production lost when Meyers left for Las Vegas, and if there’s any doubt about his availability for all 17 games, there might be some added urgency to add to the depth chart.

Latest On Patriots, DeAndre Hopkins

June 14th, 2023 at 9:49am CST by Sam Robinson

After leaving his Titans meeting without a deal, DeAndre Hopkins continues to explore his options. While he may well continue to wait on the right offer following his Patriots visit, the sides will huddle up for a multi-day summit.

Hopkins’ Pats visit will begin later today and extend through Thursday. Though New England is not known to splurge for wide receiver help, Hopkins’ value has certainly dropped compared to where it was when he locked down his Cardinals extension three years ago.

This might not be an exploratory visit to merely gauge Hopkins’ market, per The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, who notes some optimism exists the sides can use this meeting to hammer out an agreement (subscription required). Tension between Hopkins and new Patriots OC Bill O’Brien may be in the past as well, with ESPN’s Dianna Russini adding no animosity remains between the two ex-Texans (Twitter link). Amid his woeful period in the Texans’ GM role, O’Brien pulled the trigger on trading Hopkins to Arizona in March 2020.

The Patriots have not been shy about acquiring proven pieces at receiver under Bill Belichick. In the years since the Randy Moss and Wes Welker trades, New England has traded for Brandin Cooks, Josh Gordon, Mohamed Sanu and DeVante Parker and signed the likes of Danny Amendola, Antonio Brown, Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne and JuJu Smith-Schuster. That said, the lone eight-figure-per-year payment the team authorized in this bunch — the two-year, $22MM Agholor deal — did not pan out. Smith-Schuster signed for three years and $25.5MM ($16MM guaranteed). The Pats also bailed on Cooks and Deion Branch via trade rather than sign up for a big-ticket contract.

Hopkins is not aiming to take a steep discount from his Cardinals pact, which would have paid him $19.45MM in 2023. Odell Beckham Jr.‘s $15MM Ravens guarantee has come up a few times during Hopkins’ free agency. Multiple evaluators pegged Hopkins’ value in the $8-$10MM-per-year range, SI.com’s Albert Breer noted during an NBC Sports Boston appearance (video link). This could also include incentives to move the money toward that $19MM-plus mark. Anything close to $19MM at this juncture remains highly unrealistic, and the Pats ponying up approximately $10MM for a player coming off two injury-plagued seasons — and a 2022 PED suspension — should certainly not be considered a lock.

But even as Buffalo and Kansas City lingered as the early favorites, New England hovered as a team to watch. Those rumors leading to this visit with a player Belichick has long viewed in high regard points to genuine interest. The team holds $14.8MM in cap space, which checks in at 14th as of Wednesday morning.

DeAndre Hopkins Leaves Titans Without Deal

June 13th, 2023 at 10:30am CST by Ben Levine

JUNE 13: Adding further to Howe’s Monday report of Hopkins’ Patriots visit, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that it will take place on Wednesday and Thursday. That two-day window will provide New England with an opportunity to outbid the Titans, and potentially convince the three-time All-Pro to avoid taking any further visits with interested teams. Plenty of attention will no doubt be paid to the Patriots’ actions in the coming days and their willingness to use their financial advantage relative to other Hopkins suitors.

JUNE 12: DeAndre Hopkins left his Titans visit without a deal. According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini (on Twitter), “no deal was struck” between the free agent wideout and the Titans.

After “spending hours with the players and staff,” Hopkins left the Titans facility this evening. Thanks to Hopkins’ Instagram, we learned that the wideout apparently attended a concert at Nissan Stadium during his visit in Tennessee. His meeting “apparently went well,” per Russini, but the receiver intends to take more visits with teams before making a final decision.

Considering Tennessee was first on Hopkins’ free agency tour, it’s not shocking that he left Tennessee without a deal. It doesn’t sound like Hopkins has enough suitors to spark a true bidding war, at least one that could approach the $15MM salary that he’s seeking. The Titans were probably responsible with their financial offer to the receiver, and it would have required a significant pay day to get Hopkins’ signature this afternoon.

We learned last week that the Patriots were next on the list of Hopkins’ visits. Jeff Howe of The Athletic tweets that the wideout is still planning to visit New England but the exact “logistics on the timing” are still being worked out. New England is currently sitting with almost twice as much effective cap space as Tennessee (per OverTheCap.com), and their financial advantage could come in handy if they’re only competing with the Titans for the free agent’s services.

If Hopkins does end up in New England, many assumed he’d take the roster spot from one of the team’s current receivers. ESPN’s Mike Reiss isn’t so sure. He notes that the organization has been bringing offseason signing JuJu Smith-Schuster along slowly, and sources tell the reporter that 2022 second-round receiver Tyquan Thornton is “managing a soft-tissue-related injury.” While a hypothetical Hopkins signing may still lead to one of the team’s notable WRs earning their walking papers during the preseason, it could at least buy someone like Kendrick Bourne or DeVante Parker some extra time to carve out a role.

Elsewhere, Hopkins’ former team may have a bit more financial wiggle room than we anticipated. Per veteran reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter), the Cardinals’ were left with $21.078MM in dead cap following Hopkins’ release. It was originally reported that the dead cap money was around $22.6MM.

DeAndre Hopkins To Visit Patriots

June 9th, 2023 at 10:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

Not long after the news of DeAndre Hopkins‘ first free agent visit came out, his second has been revealed. In this case, the veteran wideout will be meeting with a team frequently connected to him since his release.

Hopkins will visit the Patriots next week, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). His visit in New England will come after his Titans one, which was reported earlier this week. The latter came as a surprise considering the lack of attention Tennessee received with respect to expected Hopkins suitors, but New England is in a much different position in that regard. Since being released, the 31-year-old has been linked to the Patriots as one of many AFC teams on the lookout for a boost in their passing game.

The fact that the Patriots have Bill O’Brien in place as their offensive coordinator has, of course, been mentioned as a potential deterrent for a Hopkins deal. The former was at the helm of the Texans when he traded the latter to Arizona in 2020, leading to questions about how a reunion between the two would play out. However, O’Brien’s presence is not considered an obstacle to the team’s ability to acquire the three-time All-Pro.

The Patriots currently have $14.3MM in cap space, putting them in better shape financially than many of the other suitors linked to Hopkins both before and after his Cardinals release. The Chiefs and Bills – long considered the frontrunners to land the five-time Pro Bowler – would be hard-pressed to carve out the needed cap space if Hopkins remains intent on landing a deal similar to the one Odell Beckham Jr. got with the Ravens (one year, $15MM in guranteed money). A Patriots deal of any kind would significantly alter the team’s WR room.

New England saw Jakobi Meyers and Nelson Agholor depart in free agency to the Raiders and Ravens, respectively. Their lone outside addition on the open market was JuJu Smith-Schuster, who enjoyed a succesful one-year stint in Kansas City and will face sizeable expectations given the production he was brought in to replace. The rest of the team’s depth chart features the likes of DeVante Parker, Tyquan Thornton and Kendrick Bourne, along with sixth-round rookies Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas.

Hopkins would add experience and pedigree to that group, one which is looking to take a step forward compared to last season. New England ranked 20th in the league in passing yards in 2022, and the addition of O’Brien is expected to help quarterback Mac Jones improve in Year 3. Acquiring Hopkins will also give him a proven commodity in the pass-catching corps, though the list of serious Hopkins suitors will certainly be worth watching as it continues to take shape.

DeAndre Hopkins To Visit Titans

June 7th, 2023 at 10:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Since the Cardinals released DeAndre Hopkins, the former All-Pro has been linked to several teams. Visits are now on the veteran wide receiver’s docket. Well, one visit is thus far.

The Titans have secured a meeting with Hopkins, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, who notes the visit will take place Sunday (Twitter link). Mike Vrabel spent four seasons in Houston, serving as a Texans assistant ahead of his 2018 move to Nashville. New Titans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly also coached Hopkins with the Texans. Kelly was on Bill O’Brien‘s staff for six of Hopkins’ seven seasons in Houston, spending the final year (2019) as the team’s OC.

Other teams remain in on Hopkins, Pelissero tweets, but the Titans landing the first visit should be considered important here. Tennessee has been in need at the receiver position essentially since trading A.J. Brown during the 2022 draft. The Brown trade — among other factors — preceded a rough season for the Titans’ aerial attack, and the team did not address the position much this offseason. Linked to wideouts during the draft, Tennessee did not select one until Round 7 (Colton Dowell).

At least six other AFC teams — the Bills, Browns, Chiefs, Patriots, Ravens and Texans — have been connected to Hopkins, whom the Cardinals officially released May 31. The Bills and Chiefs discussed Hopkins trade terms with the Cardinals but saw the Ravens’ $15MM Odell Beckham Jr. guarantee alter those respective negotiations. The Pats have come up on multiple occasions, with the O’Brien component not being viewed as a non-starter, while Deshaun Watson has lobbied the Browns to pull the trigger on a reunion. The Cards cutting the 10-year veteran led to a run of rumors, but this visit development represents the most significant piece of Hopkins news since he became a free agent.

Tennessee chose Treylon Burks in Round 1 shortly after trading Brown to Philadelphia, and the team added UCLA slot player Kyle Philips in the 2022 fifth round. Both players missed time due to injury in 2022, with Philips missing the bulk of his rookie season. Both are back and expected to be key contributors — Burks especially — this season, but the Titans do not have much in the way of proven talent at the wideout spots. They added veteran role player Chris Moore and still roster Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Racey McMath. But as of the minicamp sector of the NFL calendar, this is one of the league’s worst receiving groups.

The Titans let Corey Davis walk in free agency two years ago, and Brown set the Eagles’ single-season receiving yardage record last year. Both were instrumental in Ryan Tannehill‘s mid-career resurgence, which helped the Titans move to three straight AFC playoff brackets. Last season’s plan careened off the rails quickly. Tennessee did not see a pass catcher eclipse 550 yards, and the team released its leading receiver from last year — Robert Woods, who has since joined the Texans. No one currently on Tennessee’s roster has totaled more than 500 receiving yards in a season.

Hopkins, who turned 31 on Tuesday, has dropped off the All-Pro tier over the past two years. Injuries and a six-game PED suspension changed Hopkins’ Arizona trajectory. After the Clemson product flirted with a fourth first-team All-Pro nod in 2020 (115 catches, 1,408 yards, six touchdowns), he did not surpass 800 receiving yards in 2021 or ’22. Hopkins missed 15 games over the past two seasons. While productive when available, Hopkins has seen recent absences undoubtedly affect his market.

Although Hopkins mentioned Buffalo and Kansas City as prime landing spots at multiple offseason junctures and named other non-Titans QBs as those he would most like to play with, he is still seeking Beckham-level money. That might be tougher to come by in June. Although the Titans cleared out plenty of cap space by cutting Woods and others before free agency, they hold just less than $8MM. It would not surprise if Hopkins took more visits, but the Titans will see if a match can be made this weekend.

AFC South Notes: Colts, Jaguars, Metchie

June 7th, 2023 at 4:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts had Isaiah Rodgers in mind when they traded Stephon Gilmore and let Brandon Facyson defect to the Raiders in free agency. It now looks like Rodgers, currently under investigation for an alleged violation of the NFL’s gambling policy, will not play this season. Three other players — C.J. Moore, Quintez Cephus and Shaka Toney — found to have bet on NFL games received indefinite bans that will cover at least the 2023 season. The Colts did not become aware of the Rodgers investigation until it surfaced recently, Stephen Holder of ESPN.com notes (on Twitter).

Although the Colts did not know about any Rodgers gambling probe during the draft, they chose cornerback Julius Brents in the second round. But the team already had a long-term need at the position, even if Rodgers was part of the 2023 equation. Rodgers, who admitted to some degree of wrongdoing hours after the report of his gambling surfaced, was not at the Colts’ latest OTA session, per Holder. The fourth-year defender had attended Indy voluntary workouts this offseason.

Here is the latest from the AFC South:

As the list of AFC teams connected to DeAndre Hopkins expanded again today — via the former All-Pro’s upcoming Titans meeting — the Jaguars do not appear interested. Doug Pederson said (via 1010 AM’s Mia O’Brien) it is “not a reality” for the team to add another receiver piece. This makes sense, as the Jaguars already have their top three receivers tied to notable contracts. The team’s top move for 2023 was adding Calvin Ridley to a receiving corps housing Christian Kirk‘s $18MM-per-year contract and Zay Jones‘ $8MM-AAV deal. Ridley is tied to a $10.9MM fifth-year option, which tolled from 2022 due to his gambling-induced absence.
On the subject of re-emerging receivers, the Texans will have to wait a bit longer for John Metchie. While the 2022 second-round pick did some offseason work, he is currently sidelined with a hamstring strain. Metchie suffered the injury during the first phase of Houston’s offseason program, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, who adds a training camp return is expected. Metchie is on his way back from the leukemia diagnosis that sidelined him as a rookie. The Alabama product also has not played since suffering a torn ACL late in the 2021 season.
A ruptured Achilles tendon kept Rigoberto Sanchez off the field throughout last season, but the veteran Colts punter is back at work. Sanchez is punting again, per the Indianapolis Star, though he has yet to participate in a Colts workout. The team is ramping up its seventh-year punter, who sustained the injury to his punting leg in practice just before last season. Sanchez, who has also served as Indy’s kickoff man, is entering the final season of his four-year, $11.6MM contract. Sanchez, 28, is the only punter on Indianapolis’ roster.

Latest On DeAndre Hopkins

June 5th, 2023 at 3:47pm CST by Adam La Rose

As teams around the league begin minicamp, the DeAndre Hopkins free agency watch continues. The list of potential suitors for the veteran wideout has fluctuated in recent days, and a shift in market value could lead to the next signficant development.

Hopkins – who recently signed on with Klutch sports after having not had an agent – is reportedly seeking a contract similar to the one-year, $15MM one Odell Beckham Jr. signed with the Ravens in April. Such terms would be quite challenging for many teams to afford given their cap situations this late in the offseason, particularly the Bills and Chiefs, the ones most frequently named as frontrunners to sign Hopkins.

On that point, SI’s Albert Breer predicts that Buffalo and Kanas City would add the three-time All-Pro “only at a discount.” Financial pressures could very well drive down Hopkins’ asking price, something which would be necessary for either AFC contender considering they rank near the bottom of the league in available funds. On the other hand, the value of Beckham’s deal came as a shock to many, so Hopkins still may be able to land a contract of considerable value with a different team.

Breer names the Patriots as a team to watch, especially since acquiring the 30-year-old no longer requires giving up draft compensation. Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien – the head coach and general manager of the Texans when Hopkins was traded from Houston to Arizona – “would be plenty on board with, not against” adding Hopkins to New England’s roster, Breer adds. The Patriots have previously been linked to a Hopkins pursuit, and they are in far better shape with respect to cap space than the Chiefs and Bills. Doug Kyed of A to Z Sports confirms that New England is “monitoring” the five-time Pro Bowler’s market.

Finances are also less of an issue for the Browns and Ravens, teams which have been on the fringe of the Hopkins sweepstakes to date. A deal in Cleveland would reunite Hopkins with quarterback Deshaun Watson, of course, but the Browns have already made several moves at the WR position. Breer categorizes a Hopkins-to-Cleveland move as “unlikely” to take place at this point.

To little surprise, the Giants and Cowboys have bowed out of the Hopkins pursuit. Multiple teams should still be in the running to sign him, though, especially if his asking price has indeed come down. More clarity could emerge soon with respect to Hopkins’ intended destination and how willing other squads are willing to engage in a bidding war for his services.

Giants, Cowboys Not Expected To Sign DeAndre Hopkins

June 3rd, 2023 at 10:15am CST by Ben Levine

The Giants inserted themselves into the DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes earlier this week. Head coach Brian Daboll told reporters that the organization would look into a potential Hopkins signing, noting that GM Joe Schoen would do his research “anytime there’s someone that’s available as a free agent.”

However, it doesn’t sound like the organization’s pursuit will extend much beyond simple due diligence. A team source told Ralph Vacchiano of FoxSports.com that the team’s interest in Hopkins isn’t expected to continue beyond the exploratory stage.

Hopkins certainly made sense for a questionable Giants WR corps. While the team did add tight end Darren Waller, their only other notable move was signing Parris Campbell to a receivers room that also features Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins and Sterling Shepard.

Hopkins’ financial demands may have ended the Giants’ pursuit before it even began; the receiver is seeking around $15MM per season while the Giants are currently armed with less than $4MM in space. The Giants still have to make progress on a potential extension for Saquon Barkley, a contract that won’t do anything to alleviate their finances.

Another NFC East team that’s unlikely to add Hopkins is the Dallas Cowboys. Jon Machota of The Athletic writes that the team isn’t expected to sign the free agent, although coach Mike McCarthy did discuss the wideout to reporters.

“As far as players that are not here, I mean, there’s nothing good that comes out of those answers,” McCarthy said (via Machota). “Hop is a hell of a talent. I had a chance to be around (him) his first Pro Bowl. So, I’ve always had respect for him since his rookie year.”

One definitive suitor is the Chiefs, and Albert Breer of TheMMQB passes along some details of Kansas City’s offer to Hopkins (Twitter link). Kansas City offered the wideout an incentive-laden deal with a low base salary, and the front office noted that Hopkins could parlay a one-year stint in Kansas City into a more lucrative deal in 2024 (similar to JuJu Smith-Schuster).

DeAndre Hopkins Eyeing Texans Reunion?

June 2nd, 2023 at 9:58am CST by Adam La Rose

The top storyline around the league remains DeAndre Hopkins‘ first career foray into free agency and where he will ultimately land. Another team has emerged as a potential destination.

Hopkins is “interested in re-joining” the Texans, reports Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. Houston selected the three-time All-Pro in 2013, and he spent the first seven seasons of his career there. His time with the team included five campaigns of more than 1,000 receiving yards, but ended with a controversial trade to the Cardinals in 2020.

The architect of that deal on the Texans’ side (Bill O’Brien) is no longer in Houston, though the same is also true of Hopkins’ close friend, quarterback Deshaun Watson. The latter is now in Cleveland, one of many teams which has been named as a potential Hopkins suitor. Wilson notes that a Cleveland deal for Hopkins is considered a “strong possibility,” something which likely distinguishes it from a hypothetical Texans reunion.

Houston has made a number of alterations to its WR room this offseason, including the signings of Robert Woods and Noah Brown from the Titans and Cowboys, respectively. The Texans also added a pair of wideouts (Nathaniel Dell and Xavier Hutchinson) during this year’s draft, and have 2022 second-rounder John Metchie set to debut in the NFL after a cancer diagnosis caused him to miss his entire rookie campaign. With Brandin Cooks having been traded earlier in the offseason, though, room for a veteran pass catcher certainly exists in Houston.

As is the case for many teams, finances represent an obstacle to any serious Hopkins pursuit on the Texans’ part. The rebuilding AFC South outfit currently has $16.8MM in cap space, but that figure will drop considerably once their top two draft picks from this year (quarterback C.J. Stroud and edge rusher Will Anderson Jr.) sign their rookie contracts. If Hopkins holds firm on his reported desire to sign a contract similar in value to the $15MM Odell Beckham Jr. accord, plenty of maneuvering would be needed for Houston to make an aggressive push to re-acquire him.

The presence of O’Brien hasn’t stopped the Patriots from being linked to Hopkins now that he is a free agent. While a return to the franchise where the pair spent considerable time together appears to be on the radar, it will be interesting to see if it emerges as a serious possibility relative to the other contenders to sign the latter.

Load More Posts