Amid reports of DeAndre Hopkins’ offseason free agent visits with a few NFL franchises, one main reason could be delaying Hopkins’ desire to get a deal done.
Hopkins reportedly had productive visits with the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots this past month; however, few would consider those two championship-caliber teams in 2023.
The Kansas City Chiefs. The Buffalo Bills. The Philadelphia Eagles. These are arguably the teams set up for the most immediate success, and if the Chiefs in particular want Hopkins, they could have him. They just have to play the waiting game.
According to Albert Breer, Hopkins is “holding out hope that he’s going to play for a contender, like a true contender like a Buffalo or Kansas City.”
Breer thinks the Chiefs’ priority right now is to extend Chris Jones, which in turn would lower his cap hit for 2023.
In that case, Kansas City could have enough room to bring on Hopkins assuming the two sides agree to a modest deal. From Hopkins’ perspective, he would probably make less in Kansas City than more cap space-friendly teams, but he would have a much better shot at winning a ring than on, say, the semi-rebuilding Titans.
Hopkins listed his desirables for his future team right before he was released by Arizona, and they include some pretty tall orders: an elite quarterback, stable management, great defense.
Per those prerequisites, the Titans and Patriots would both fail. The Chiefs, on the other hand, would pass with flying colors.
Hopkins and Kansas City were in contact in May with the primary roadblock in a potential deal being Hopkins’ price. It all comes down to what Hopkins is looking for and whether the reigning Super Bowl champs deem him worth the money. Hopkins’ unknown contract demands could cause top contenders to bow out of a high-risk deal.
Yet if the star free agent is willing to take less from a bona fide championship contender, the Chiefs are very much still in this dogfight.
