Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkin Michael Chow / USA TODAY NETWORK

Former NFL player believes Falcons are in on DeAndre Hopkins

Originally posted on SportsTalkATL | By Chase Irle | Last updated 3/23/23

The rumor mill is churning around DeAndre Hopkins, who is expected to be traded in the coming days. The Cardinals initially hoped to get at least a second-round pick for the former All-Pro receiver, but recent reports have suggested the return will be much more similar to what the Texans received for Brandon Cooks — a fifth and sixth rounder. Ian Rapoport also reported Hopkins’ deal will likely be restructured once he is traded.

The Falcons make sense because the team has a desperate need for another wide receiver, the necessary cap space to make a deal happen and a full allotment of draft picks. Hopkins would give Desmond Ridder just about everything a first-year starter could ask for in order to succeed, and now there are even more people linking the receiver to Atlanta.

Thursday on "The Pat McAfee Show," Pacman Jones said the Falcons are one of five teams in on DeAndre Hopkins, along with the Bills, Patriots, Ravens and Raiders.

Update: The #Bills, #Patriots, #Ravens, #Raiders, and #Falcons are the 5 teams in on WR DeAndre Hopkins, according to Pacman Jones on the @PatMcAfeeShow: pic.twitter.com/rXziEx2xCw

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 23, 2023

I’m split on the idea of bringing in Hopkins. He’s going to cost a pretty penny and doesn’t really line up with the Falcons timeline. However, if Terry Fontenot pulls the trigger on this deal, it tells me one thing: the Falcons believe in Desmond Ridder.

This is more of a win-now move, and it’s not something the Falcons should be considering if they plan on running the ball as much as they did last year. There is no reason to allocate significant money and assets on a talent like Hopkins and throw it less than 20 times per game.

However, if the plan is to open things up a little more with Ridder under center, the Falcons offensive weapons, consisting of DeAndre Hopkins, Drake London, Kyle Pitts, Jonnu Smith, Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson, could be deadly, . At the very least, Atlanta would be a fun team to watch every Sunday.

This article first appeared on SportsTalkATL and was syndicated with permission.

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