Ranking Landing Spots for DeAndre Hopkins
By Andy Davies
Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was released at the end of May but is still without a team.
With five Pro Bowl selections to his name, Hopkins has only had less than 800 receiving yards to his name in two of the ten seasons that he has been a player in the NFL, with six 1,000-yard campaigns.
With age and recent history not on his side, this has probably played a large part in why Hopkins is yet to find a new team.
He has rumoured to have lots of suitors and has named five quarterbacks he would like to play with in Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Patrick Mahomes. However according to the bookmakers, only one of these player’s teams seem interested in a move for D-Hop.
Here are the five bookies favourites to land Hopkins, with the potential moves rated out of 10.
New England Patriots (Odds: +400)
Rating: 6/10
Hopkins would come in an immediately become the number one wideout in New England. However, there is a reason he wanted to play with those five quarterbacks.
He wants to win now, and whilst the Patriots will have hopes of being dark horses now Matt Patricia is out of the door, they are unlikely to play postseason football next season even if Hopkins moves to Foxboro.
Dallas Cowboys (Odds: +600)
Rating: 8/10
What a move this would be.
With a defense featuring Micah Parsons and an offense that includes an all-purpose back in Tony Pollard, adding Hopkins to a wide receiver room including CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup and Brandin Cooks would be scary.
Jerry Jones has come out and said it is unlikely but has also said to not rule out any possibility. With just over $24 million in cap space, this is a move that Dallas can realistically make.
It is unclear if Hopkins is a WR1 anymore, but as we saw with Odell Beckham in the 2021 season when the Los Angeles Rams won a Super Bowl, Hopkins could benefit from being the number two or three receiver. With their receiver room, the workload of Hopkins can be managed and he is not going to be expected to be the main guy, which at his age, is not a bad thing.
In an easier conference, this gives Hopkins a great chance to get to at least a Championship game, something he has not yet done in his NFL career. However, this is the Cowboys, who have not reached that stage in over 25 years and it is unclear if Dak Prescott is the guy.
Chicago Bears (Odds: +625)
Rating: 7/10
The Bears are making all the right moves this offseason and are doing all they can to show support to quarterback Justin Fields.
With the addition of D.J. Moore, they have given him the true weapon he always lacked. Adding in Hopkins would be another dangerous proposition to deal with for NFL defenses.
In a tough division, this is not a complete team and Hopkins may not want to wait three or four years to play in a Championship game.
Buffalo Bills (Odds: +650)
Rating 9/10
This move makes the most sense.
Hopkins would firstly be playing for one of the five quarterbacks he listed. Once again, he would be the second or third choice receiver, which will be a massive benefit to him.
He would also be playing for a contender, which you cannot say for certain with Dallas despite them being in an easier division.
Tennessee Titans (Odds: +750)
Rating: 2/10
Hopkins has been in New England and Tennessee for talks, but the latter would be a horrendous choice.
This is nothing against head coach Mike Vrabel. Easily one of the most underrated head coaches in the league, but Hopkins would be going into a team that is seemingly in rebuild mode.
Hopkins may choose the Titans purely for the fact that he would be the star receiver and would be welcomed with open arms by the fanbase.
Whilst they have a beast in running back Derrick Henry, his future is not certain and the quarterback position is far from comfortable.
It appears to be the last year as a Titans starter for Ryan Tannehill, Malik Willis flattered to deceive in his 2022 rookie year and Will Levis is as decisive as their jerseys.
Noone knows who will start under centre in Tennessee and none of the above three are generating too much excitement from the fans.
Why would Hopkins want to walk into this environment? Especially with the desire to get a ring.
ANDY DAVIES
NFL ANALYST
A current Sports Journalism masters student, Andy has been writing NFL articles since January 2020. Originally from Wales, Andy also writes for pro football mania and dolphins talk, as well as appearing on podcasts and videos for euro tripz. find him on twitter @andydaviessport.