Super Bowl favorite has 'kept in contact' with DeAndre Hopkins amid Titans buzz

When the Arizona Cardinals cut ties with Hopkins back in late May, the Chiefs immediately emerged as a potential landing spot for the five-time Pro Bowler. Those rumblings died down some in recent weeks after the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots hosted Hopkins for free-agency visits. Fowler noted that the former is "well-positioned" to land Hopkins. 

The biggest hindrance to a Chiefs-Hopkins pairing is money — or in Kansas City's case, a lack of it. The defending champions rank dead last in the NFL with $858.8K in cap space, according to Spotrac. The next lowest team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, check in with $2.4M in cap space. 

The Chiefs could create additional cap space by signing defensive lineman Chris Jones to a contract extension. Jones, a first-team All-Pro selection in 2022, currently boasts a $28.2M cap hit for the 2023 season.

The Chiefs have appeared in three Super Bowls over the last four years and are currently the favorites to hoist the Lombardy Trophy this coming season. However, the team's aerial attack expects to look vastly different moving forward, following the losses of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman in free agency. 

Of course, star tight end Travis Kelce still remains in the fold. The team is also extremely high on third-year pro Kadarius Toney. If the Chiefs want to solidify their receiving corps this offseason, though, handing quarterback Patrick Mahomes a certified No. 1 wideout like Hopkins is the way to do so.