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 Chris Meck:
You could, and they could have, except that because they're spending that money on a WR1, you don't have money to sign a Taylor and/or an Omenihu, so you have to continue to draft those positions instead. Spend in one place, you can't in another. So you have to draft for it.
They were willing to pay Tyreek to a point, and the pivoted because it was going to cost them too much in other areas. I really don't understand why this is so difficult for people to grasp. Yes, they were willing to pay Tyreek, probably up to $20m, knowing it would cost them in other places on the roster; they pivoted when the price got too steep and went in another direction.
Maybe you think they want to pivot back, but they've committed all of the cap room to other positions (like the offensive line), and spent serious draft resources on WR instead. I'd like to see Mahomes on two legs in a SB. It's been awhile. But that's just me.
It's really quite plain to see, if you're willing to see it. If you want to stick your fingers in your ears and dream of Deandre Hopkins, feel free, but that's all it is.
We're drafting and developing our WR room, and rolling with Mahomes and an improved defense while we do so.
You realize we can build through youth as we're doing now while having a WR1? But we didn't. Our WR/RB room outside of Tyreek was horrendous. And that had nothing to do with tyreeks contract. I don't think we tried very hard to find watkins' replacement, either that or we did a really lousy job of it.. So the narrative that having Tyreek was our downfall or that a WR1 is regressive is overplayed. He should've been surrounded by better talent
Still our 2020 offense was really good. That's despite a lousy running game. WRs thudding passes off their hands and running backwards with an absurd number of mistakes leading to turnovers. we had WRs frustrating the hell out of mahomes because they were in the wrong spots and dropping third down gimmes. It wasn't just that mahomes didn't want to run an efficient offense. He didn't trust his other WRs and why would he?
So what did veach do? he went out and signed juju. They signed Watson for cheap. These were moves we made expecting Tyreek to be back. They knew they needed depth in the wr room. Sure they had a limit but what they were willing to give hill or AJ brown was substantial. Obviously doesn't fly with the narrative that $20m is too much money.
And no I'm not begging for dhop. I'm lukewarm about him except I kinda want to see it just to get rid of this myth that the chiefs are anywhere near our ceiling on offense. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Megatron96:
Yes, Tyreek is a HoFer, no one is disputing that. He's also 5'9" and therefore physically limited as to just how large his catch radius is. Or how consistently he can beat certain DBs.
maybe you remember the several Tyreek-tipped balls that resulted in INTs? It was the cause of a lot of concern around here in 2021.
Simply put, a prototypical WR (6ft+, 210-lb.) WR is a much bigger target, with a potentially much larger catch radius, yes? I mean, we can agree that Hopkins has a much larger catch radius than Tyreek, right?
I'll stop there and wait for a reply, because if we can't agree on those points, the rest of this conversation is pointless.
I swear that you have said this phrase or similar to this phrase more times in just this thread, than all the posters in CP history have combined. You're obsessed with a large catch radius. We get it, you think Hopkins can reach a long ways and catch the ball. [Reply]
Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501:
You realize we can build through youth as we're doing now while having a WR1? But we didn't. Our WR/RB room outside of Tyreek was horrendous. And that had nothing to do with tyreeks contract. I don't think we tried very hard to find watkins' replacement, either that or we did a really lousy job of it.. So the narrative that having Tyreek was our downfall or that a WR1 is regressive is overplayed. He should've been surrounded by better talent
Still our 2020 offense was really good. That's despite a lousy running game. WRs thudding passes off their hands and running backwards with an absurd number of mistakes leading to turnovers. we had WRs frustrating the hell out of mahomes because they were in the wrong spots and dropping third down gimmes. It wasn't just that mahomes didn't want to run an efficient offense. He didn't trust his other WRs and why would he?
So what did veach do? he went out and signed juju. They signed Watson for cheap. These were moves we made expecting Tyreek to be back. They knew they needed depth in the wr room. Sure they had a limit but what they were willing to give hill or AJ brown was substantial. Obviously doesn't fly with the narrative that $20m is too much money.
And no I'm not begging for dhop. I'm lukewarm about him except I kinda want to see it just to get rid of this myth that the chiefs are anywhere near our ceiling on offense.
Dude, you're looking at things as if they're independent and unrelated, and they're not. Everything affects everything. Cap dollars have to be spread around. If you're paying an elite WR (and we were), then you have to fill other spots on the cheap and with draft picks. The same thing happens up and down the roster.
It's entirely unrealistic to expect that they would have and pay and elite WR (and we were) and still put serious draft resources into the depth behind him multiple years when there are 51 other roster spots that need good players. And don't forget we did try with Watkins (who just couldn't stay on the field) and Hardman (who just never really developed beyond a gadget weapon). We needed corners bad, and linebackers, and an offensive line after Schwartz and Fisher both had career ending injuries, and the interior o-line sucked, and on and on and on.
Everything affects everything. You can't just zero in on the WR room and cry about how we didn't address it until, in your opinion, it was too late. Too late for what, exactly? We were the number one offense in football and won the Lombardi. I'd say it worked out fine.
If ONE of these kids reaches their potential, we'll be in good shape. If TWO hit we're golden. If all THREE (or Justyn, or Ritchie steps up, or someone just comes out of nowhere like Ealy or whatever) hit then we're probably going to threepeat. They'll be unstoppable.
It's going to be fine, you guys. Way too much handwringing about an organization that has given you no reason to doubt it in a long time. These guys know what they're doing. [Reply]
Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501:
You realize we can build through youth as we're doing now while having a WR1? But we didn't. Our WR/RB room outside of Tyreek was horrendous. And that had nothing to do with tyreeks contract. I don't think we tried very hard to find watkins' replacement, either that or we did a really lousy job of it.. So the narrative that having Tyreek was our downfall or that a WR1 is regressive is overplayed. He should've been surrounded by better talent
Still our 2020 offense was really good. That's despite a lousy running game. WRs thudding passes off their hands and running backwards with an absurd number of mistakes leading to turnovers. we had WRs frustrating the hell out of mahomes because they were in the wrong spots and dropping third down gimmes. It wasn't just that mahomes didn't want to run an efficient offense. He didn't trust his other WRs and why would he?
So what did veach do? he went out and signed juju. They signed Watson for cheap. These were moves we made expecting Tyreek to be back. They knew they needed depth in the wr room. Sure they had a limit but what they were willing to give hill or AJ brown was substantial. Obviously doesn't fly with the narrative that $20m is too much money.
And no I'm not begging for dhop. I'm lukewarm about him except I kinda want to see it just to get rid of this myth that the chiefs are anywhere near our ceiling on offense.
The 2020 offense was great, I think you're talking about the 21 offense.
Which the 21 season, they went into the offense with no offensive tackles on the roster, no center, and needed guards. So they rebuilt the entire OL thru the draft and FA, which apparently doesn't matter because it's not weapons, but they had a top 3 WR in football and a 2nd round pick coming into his 3rd year in the league and the best TE in football.
So yeah, they're not gonna keep throwing high picks at WR when you've got a high priced elite guy. [Reply]
Originally Posted by O.city:
The 2020 offense was great, I think you're talking about the 21 offense.
Which the 21 season, they went into the offense with no offensive tackles on the roster, no center, and needed guards. So they rebuilt the entire OL thru the draft and FA, which apparently doesn't matter because it's not weapons, but they had a top 3 WR in football and a 2nd round pick coming into his 3rd year in the league and the best TE in football.
So yeah, they're not gonna keep throwing high picks at WR when you've got a high priced elite guy.
Yes, 2021. It was a good offense with a HUGE liability at WR not named Tyreek hill. 5 years is enough time to find at bare minimum a WR2 and you don't have to lob resources at it. We fixed the interior OL only after years of throwing mahomes behind a dumpster fire. And for the past 2 years we got subpar play out of the 2 key parts of the OL. while I'm glad Pacheco hit we expected ceh to be the guy at RB, otherwise we wouldn't have waited the last round to find our guy.
I love veach, but we gotta acknowledge that we have not been good at filling our most critical skill positions on offense. Partially because we deprioritized it. but when we took big swings like with CEH, mecole, obj, and all our busts at RT we whiffed. So while I'm encouraged, youre also asking for a huge leap of faith that this huge influx of talent much of which unproven is going to hit all at once. And if doesn't...oh well, just ask mahomes and Reid to carry them on their back as they've done for years. [Reply]
Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501:
Yes, 2021. It was a good offense with a HUGE liability at WR not named Tyreek hill. 5 years is enough time to find at bare minimum a WR2 and you don't have to lob resources at it. We fixed the interior OL only after years of throwing mahomes behind a dumpster fire. And for the past 2 years we got subpar play out of the 2 key parts of the OL. while I'm glad Pacheco hit we expected ceh to be the guy at RB, otherwise we wouldn't have waited the last round to find our guy.
I love veach, but we gotta acknowledge that we have not been good at filling our most critical skill positions on offense. Partially because we deprioritized it. but when we took big swings like with CEH, mecole, obj, and all our busts at RT we whiffed. So while I'm encouraged, youre also asking for a huge leap of faith that this huge influx of talent much of which unproven is going to hit all at once. And if doesn't...oh well, just ask mahomes and Reid to carry them on their back as they've done for years.
JFC you're still going with this reeruned fucking take huh?
You're a special kind of stupid. I will absolutely give you that. [Reply]
Originally Posted by staylor26:
JFC you're still going with this reeruned ****ing take huh?
You're a special kind of stupid. I will absolutely give you that.
We have not made good moves at all at WR or OT since we drafted mahomes. You can sugarcoat it all you want. But thems the facts. I like the direction we are heading but you can't ignore the history. We are in the highly uncertain situation we are in because we did not address it previously. [Reply]
Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501:
We have not made good moves at all at WR or OT since we drafted mahomes. You can sugarcoat it all you want. But thems the facts. I like the direction we are heading but you can't ignore the history. We are in the highly uncertain situation we are in because we did not address it previously.
JuJu and MVS weren't good moves? Hardman was a lot closer to a good move than a bad move. And you keep switching back and forth from "offensive skill players" to "WR". Can you just pick 1 and stick with it? Every time you say offensive skill players, you're ignoring Pacheco.
What about Toney? Was that not a good move?
OBJ was a rock solid move, even if it didn't result in a second contract. He was excellent in the AFCCG and SB. Same with Wylie. They turned Wylie into a legitimate starting RT that got paid.
This is basically all about one thing, you crying about the lack of a true WR1, and your inability to be patient with the young guys that they've invested in.
Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501:
We have not made good moves at all at WR or OT since we drafted mahomes. You can sugarcoat it all you want. But thems the facts. I like the direction we are heading but you can't ignore the history. We are in the highly uncertain situation we are in because we did not address it previously.
Because they had Fisher and Schwartz at the T spots in the middle of their prime.
Why would they attempt to replace that?
Same with Tyreek and the WR spot. They weren't looking for a top WR because they had one in the middle of his prime.
Paired with the fact that Andy has been able to get production out of any swinging fella. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mecca:
They were blindsided by Tyreek they never planned to move on from him.
And with that considered, they handled it perfectly getting a couple vets to help transition while investing heavily in a young trio with 3 day 2 picks.
It's honestly baffling that we even have to have this discussion after what they just did. [Reply]
It's pretty simple really the Chiefs WR room does have a significant ceiling but the floor also isn't there either, this could go either way. There is depth there but no one cares how good WR 8 is cause he isn't make the team anyway.
If you're grading on just what we know, yea it's not a great room because it's full of unknowns. It's by far the biggest question mark on the team because by week 6 we could either be talking about how so and so really stepped in to be a good starter or holy fuck this WR room is killing us. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mecca:
It's pretty simple really the Chiefs WR room does have a significant ceiling but the floor also isn't there either, this could go either way. There is depth there but no one cares how good WR 8 is cause he isn't make the team anyway.
If you're grading on just what we know, yea it's not a great room because it's full of unknowns. It's by far the biggest question mark on the team because by week 6 we could either be talking about how so and so really stepped in to be a good starter or holy **** this WR room is killing us.
Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes history together says this room ends up going which way? [Reply]