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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For this team it's probably worth the gamble, unless of course you don't think placing yourself firmly ahead of everyone in the SB conversation matters. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Megatron96:
Not the same type of WR, and Hill wanted $30M. And more fame or whatever. Face time, idk.
And as Pat's career continues, and his cap hit becomes more burdensome, the opportunities will greatly diminish. IF, and that's a big IF, DHop could be had for a reasonable $$ figure and/or concessions, there may not be a better opportunity to pair Mahomes with a HOFer WR AND Travis AND Andy. It might be the only opportunity.
My point is that the window for such a circumstance is definitely closing, and who knows when it might open again?
I want them to focus on the OL and defense more than anything else. You can have the greatest offense in the world and it won’t mean anything if the defense blows it. We saw this in 2018. Strong OL & Strong defense are the 2 things Belichick was able to put on the field seemingly every year in the Patriots dynasty. [Reply]
Last year's playoff run should be the nail in the coffin of the 80s talking heads defense wins championship mantra. But it won't be cause they can't help themselves. [Reply]
If the Cardinals allow a meeting between Hopkins and the Chiefs before a possible trade, Veach should walk in, sit down in front of D-Hop and just start clinking his two Super Bowl rings together. Don't say a word, just clink those rings together for about 30 seconds and stare directly into his eyes. And just when the sheer awkwardness gets to the unbearable point, Veach needs to say "D-Hop, if you want one of these, maybe even two of these to clink together, you accept a trade to us without a new deal. You play for $19.45M in 2023 and $14.915M in 2024 and you walk away as a HOF-er with a Super Bowl ring or two as your legacy. Or you add a few more million dollars to what should already be a bank account so big your grand-kids won't be able to spend it all and watch us keep racking up Lombardi's. It's time to figure out what your priorities are."
If he plays his on his current deal, I'd give up a 2nd and a 4th for him and drive a wooden stake through the heart of the rest of the NFL. He absolutely looked like one of the best WRs in the NFL for a few games when he came back. With Kyler Murray throwing to him. The opportunity to play with Patrick would turn his biological clock back a couple seasons.
If he wants a new deal then wish him good luck and move on. [Reply]
You sign a 31 yeard old WR to $20m plus (and he WILL want that, and wants a new deal with a trade) then you say goodbye to Sneed, and probably Bolton in the next couple of years, and you un-do a lot of the groundwork we laid last off-season. And you'd better cut MVS as well, because you've got too much tied up in the WR corps otherwise and you've got to pay Brown and Jones and congratulations! You've re-created a lesser version of the 2021 Chiefs. Maybe they can lose in the divisional round instead of the AFCCG!
This whole idea is dumb and a big step backwards. And it's not going to happen. so the conversation is doubly dumb.
What about moving up and grabbing a WR in the 12-20 range?
Or are there lots of talented receivers later in the draft?
Sent from my moto g stylus 5G using Tapatalk [Reply]
Originally Posted by DRM08:
I want them to focus on the OL and defense more than anything else. You can have the greatest offense in the world and it won’t mean anything if the defense blows it. We saw this in 2018. Strong OL & Strong defense are the 2 things Belichick was able to put on the field seemingly every year in the Patriots dynasty.
Hey, I get it. And until Mahomes showed up, I was as old school as it gets about defense. Used to prop up Bill all the time with his philosophy about how to maintain a dynasty.
But what I've come to realize in the last couple three years is that the Chiefs aren't the Patriots. Clark Hunt isn't Kraft. Andy isn't Bill. It's almost like they're polar opposites.
And then we have the rules. Which have now leaned hugely in the direction of offense. You can't even play the kind of defense Bill used to put on the field. They've even made some of Bill's adjustments illegal now.
The way to win SBs is now mostly in the hands of the offense. That's not to say that you don't need a defense, because obviously that's stupid. But you don't need a top-5 defense to keep winning SBs. Top 14-ish will get it done.
You do need a top-5 offense though. The days of building teams that rely on running the ball over passing, that lean on a top-5 defense to win SBs is over. Now, Andy got away with fielding a bunch of rooks and WR2s or WR3s this time. But it was like a magic trick, or pulling off a miracle 70-yard Hail Mary. It can be done, and if anyone's going to do it, I trust Andy and Pat to make t happen, but I don't want the Chiefs to have to rely on that formula. At least not if they don't have to.
Bringing in an elite WR of DHop's caliber for the next couple years would make everything that much easier. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Megatron96:
You're right, DHop isn't a kid anymore. But can AJ do what DHop does at 9:04?:-) Sick. Just sick.
Lot of nice catches, route-running, adjustments in here. Especially when you consider that he's catching passes from four different QBs, three of whom aren't NFL starters. But that catch at 9:04 is just nonsense. The one at 2:24 is pretty ridiculous as well.
Originally Posted by ChiefsFanatic:
What about moving up and grabbing a WR in the 12-20 range?
Or are there lots of talented receivers later in the draft?
Sent from my moto g stylus 5G using Tapatalk
This draft seems to me, from my reading and mocks to be a not great draft in the top of the first. Not much in like, sure-fire, future all-pros. But a LOT of good talent in that late first to late second and into the third rounds at several interesting positions for KC, like DE, WR, TE, and even OT.
I think moving UP to get a WR is unlikely given what it costs to do so, but I fully expect we'll grab a guy in the first two days. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Megatron96:
Hey, I get it. And until Mahomes showed up, I was as old school as it gets about defense. Used to prop up Bill all the time with his philosophy about how to maintain a dynasty.
But what I've come to realize in the last couple three years is that the Chiefs aren't the Patriots. Clark Hunt isn't Kraft. Andy isn't Bill. It's almost like they're polar opposites.
And then we have the rules. Which have now leaned hugely in the direction of offense. You can't even play the kind of defense Bill used to put on the field. They've even made some of Bill's adjustments illegal now.
The way to win SBs is now mostly in the hands of the offense. That's not to say that you don't need a defense, because obviously that's stupid. But you don't need a top-5 defense to keep winning SBs. Top 14-ish will get it done.
You do need a top-5 offense though. The days of building teams that rely on running the ball over passing, that lean on a top-5 defense to win SBs is over. Now, Andy got away with fielding a bunch of rooks and WR2s or WR3s this time. But it was like a magic trick, or pulling off a miracle 70-yard Hail Mary. It can be done, and if anyone's going to do it, I trust Andy and Pat to make t happen, but I don't want the Chiefs to have to rely on that formula. At least not if they don't have to.
Bringing in an elite WR of DHop's caliber for the next couple years would make everything that much easier.
It’s not impossible to play defense in the modern game. Belichick shutdown a pretty good Rams offense for only 3 points in the Super Bowl a few years ago. The Bengals defense has never given up more than 23-24 points in 7 playoff games the last 2 seasons. Cincy held Josh Allen to 10 points and they’ve consistently held the KC offense below 25 points. KC defense gave up 36 to Buffalo last year and 35 to Philly this year. I don’t believe it’s a sustainable approach to winning. [Reply]
We had the number one offense in football. If you want to spend money on the offense, spend it on protecting Mahomes. Otherwise, spend it on pass rushers and keeping the good young talent we have that won us a Super Bowl and have us poised to seriously threaten to repeat.
