Another team emerges as trade suitor for DeAndre Hopkins |
Nuk in Buffalo's offensive attack?
Longtime NFL reporter Aaron Wilson says the Bills are headlining the trade market for DeAndre Hopkins currently. Wilson says there is "plenty of interest" in Hopkins but the "financial expectations might impact any further interest" from a team such as Kansas City, who was listed as the betting favorite by Sportsline recently (+300; the Bills were listed at +1400 there). Outside of just financials, Pro Football Focus said earlier this week that the Carolina Panthers are the best fit for Hopkins. "Hopkins has been the biggest name on the trading block all offseason, and in a year where elite receivers are hard to come by, he is still an option that must be tempting for several teams, even with his contract," said PFF's Sam Monson. "That contract, long seen as an outlier by the rest of the NFL, is significantly more palatable now than it was when he first received it, which could tempt some teams into parting with a draft pick to secure a No. 1 option. Hopkins has gained over 2.0 yards per route run for his entire career despite having a rough quarterback situation for much of that time. He caught over 50% of contested catches last season and at 30 years old, he still likely has multiple seasons at the top before decline sets in." ESPN's Bill Barnwell also projected a potential trade with the Panthers. "This hasn't been a great market for veterans in trades; Houston netted only two late-round picks for Brandin Cooks and needed to eat $6 million to get the deal done, while Jalen Ramsey and Stephon Gilmore both landed much less than their résumés would have indicated," Barnwell said. "(Projecting that Hopkins is) traded to the Panthers. In this deal, the Panthers would send the No. 93 selection to the Cardinals, who would pick up $10 million of Hopkins' $19.5 million base salary in 2023. Carolina would also guarantee Hopkins' $14.9 million salary for 2024, putting it on the hook for two years and $24.4 million. "For the Panthers, this would lock in a No. 1 receiver for the first two years of their new quarterback's career. They would sport a much older receiving corps than we see for most rookie quarterbacks -- they would be starting Hopkins and Adam Thielen in Week 1 -- but there's nothing wrong with locking in experienced receivers before working in cheaper options as the quarterback (hopefully) gets closer to earning an extension..." The Bills, armed with Josh Allen at QB, ranked seventh in the league last season in yards per pass (7.5) with 35 touchdowns (third-most) to 14 interceptions and a 95.8 passer rating (also seventh). The Panthers threw for the fifth-fewest yards last season while working through quarterback issues. They have the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Hopkins is a three-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection whose last 1,000-yard campaign came in 2020 (115 catches for 1,407 yards and six scores). #Cardinals DeAndre Hopkins' trade market headlined by #Bills, per NFL sources. Five-time Pro Bowl selection has plenty of interest on trade market, but financial expectations might impact any further interest from #Chiefs #Ravens not among bidders, per sources.
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