DeAndre Hopkins hires agent amid search for new home

As for Hopkins’ potential destination, familiar teams continue to circle. Bills and Chiefs interest remains, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. During a recent ESPN appearance with Harry Douglas and Jason Fitz, Fowler said he would bet on Hopkins ending up in Buffalo or Kansas City.

Both AFC powerhouses sit at the bottom of the league in terms of cap space. Buffalo holds $1.47M while Kansas City sits at barely $600K. Hopkins is not looking to take much of a discount, especially considering what Odell Beckham Jr. received from the Ravens. OBJ signed for $15M guaranteed and incentives can take the 30-year-old wideout’s payout to $18M. Hopkins remains unlikely to secure such a payday at this juncture, and the Chiefs and Bills — during trade talks with the Cardinals — balked at taking on his previous contract. With that contract in the past, more flexibility exists.

Hopkins will probably have to reveal some wiggle if he wants to end up with either of the two teams he has frequently mentioned as appealing destinations. Other teams still view the Bills as a threat to add Hopkins, per Fowler, who also notes the Chiefs’ belief in Kadarius Toney, despite his concerning injury past, also could impede a Hopkins addition. Kansas City also chose SMU’s Rashee Rice in Round 2 of the 2023 draft. The Bills did not draft a receiver until Round 5 (Florida’s Justin Shorter), but they are planning to use first-round tight end Dalton Kincaid as a slot player frequently.

Although the Ravens signed Beckham and now have Zay Flowers in the fold, Lamar Jackson approached team brass about the potential for adding Hopkins weeks ago. With Jackson’s cap hit dropping from $32.4M to $22.15M this year, thanks to his record-setting extension, Baltimore has more than $11M in cap space. The Ravens did Hopkins homework earlier this year, per The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec, and also discussed Courtland Sutton with the Broncos. But they are not believed to have entered serious trade talks with the Cardinals.

The Browns continue to be loosely connected to Hopkins, with Fowler noting the team will likely at least make a call on the 10-year veteran. Hopkins played three seasons with Deshaun Watson in Houston and remains close with the second-year Cleveland quarterback. Thanks to designating John Johnson as a post-June 1 cut, the Browns will hold more than $16M in cap space later this week. That said, Kevin Stefanski has praised the Browns’ current receiving corps and expressed confidence in the group as is. The Browns have Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Elijah Moore and three recent third-round picks — Cedric Tillman, David Bell and Anthony Schwartz — on their roster.

The Jets pursued Beckham and had set up a visit, but they backed out of the race when the Ravens’ guarantee figure surfaced. The Cowboys also looked into the former All-Pro via trade. New York has since added Randall Cobb, while Dallas traded for Brandin Cooks. These two could loom on the fringes here as well, but Hopkins continues to be tied more closely to the Chiefs and Bills.