The Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl without a star wide receiver, but they could reportedly make an elite offense even scarier by acquiring DeAndre Hopkins.
NFL insider Benjamin Albright told PHNX Cardinals that Kansas City is the "primary suitor" for Hopkins. He doesn't know the draft compensation the Cardinals would receive, but he said it's more likely they get a second-round pick than a first.
After the 2022 season, theScore's Jordan Schultz reported that the Cardinals plan to trade Hopkins this offseason.
Arizona hired a new general manager and head coach after a disappointing four-win season, and Hopkins is set to make $19.45 million (with a $30.75 million cap hit) in 2023. The Cardinals could seek a clean slate by moving the three-time All-Pro wideout, who turns 31 in June.
Hopkins began his Cardinals career by tallying 1,407 yards and six touchdowns in 2020. However, multiple lower body injuries limited him to 10 games in 2021, and he served a six-game suspension to start the 2022 season for violating the NFL's PED policy.
Yet he remains an impact player when on the field. Hopkins totaled 474 receiving yards in six full games with quarterback Kyler Murray last season.
Now imagine what he can accomplish when catching passes from Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs flourished without a star replacement for Tyreek Hill, but they could still benefit by solidifying the position this offseason. JuJu Smith-Schuster is a free agent after garnering 78 catches for 933 yards on a one-year deal. The depth chart features several talented question marks in Mecole Hardman, Kadarius Toney, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Adding Hopkins could be great news for Kansas City, but terrible for all opposing defenses.
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Originally Posted by Hammock Parties:
I just think it's crazy to say Hopkins wouldn't make them a better team than us.
The margins between the top three teams in the AFC are thin, thin, thin.
That's an entirely objective opinion.
Nah. Overall, KC is a better team. Better coaching across the board, better defense, better OL, better running game. If DHop goes to BUF, it's not that they'd have a better team, but they'd have a serious advantage with Diggs/Dhop vs. our defense. Spags is good, but you can't double cover both of those guys. Still not a lock they beat us though. Their OC is a child in comparison to Spags. Odds are Dorsey wouldn't be able to take advantage of the situation the way Andy would. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Marcellus:
One thing I'm confident of is Veach has a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C and a Plan D.
And he isn't deviating from what he is willing to do to get an players involved in any of the plans. We aren't as desperate as people make us out to be.
Meh, I've said from the very beginning that we probably weren't going to get Hopkins, and that we'd likely just sign some JAG possession WR to fill JuJu's role.
Hopkins was always a huge longshot, just from the draft compensation aspect. Even if we offered ARI a 2nd, which Veach was never going to do, I mean really, how valuable is that? The 64th pick? Whoopee. 31 other teams can do better than that.
I think Veach made an offer, knowing that it was a serious longshot, but why not? Couldn't hurt, and maybe he gets a chance at sweetening the pot a touch once the price softened enough. But he never had a great chance at making it happen. Just not enough resources. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Hammock Parties:
Bills 24, Chiefs 20. AT Arrowhead. :-)
It's a razor-thin margin, dude.
Yeah, but a large contingent of that BUF defense isn't there anymore. And we didn't have McDuffie, Pacheco . . . I'm not saying KC is orders of magnitude better, but in those key spots KC now has an advantage. [Reply]
