Could the balance of power in the AFC hang in the balance with where DeAndre Hopkins signs?
Shortly after Hopkins was released by the Arizona Cardinals on Friday, the Dallas Cowboys were installed as the +300 favorite by SportsBetting.ag to land the 30-year-old wide receiver. However, the odds had shifted by Saturday in favor of the Buffalo Bills at +200, followed by AFC rival Kansas City at +400 and Dallas at +500.
Both Buffalo and Kansas City held “substantive” talks with Arizona about a trade, according to SI.com, but the $15 million the Baltimore Ravens gave Odell Beckham Jr. on a one-year deal threw a wrench into the financial equation.
The Cardinals were ultimately unable to find a trade partner for Hopkins, so the team opted to take a dead cap hit of $22.6 million while clearing $8.15 million in salary cap space.
That also left one of the league’s elite wide receivers free to sign with any of the other 31 teams. The New England Patriots (+700) and Ravens (+800) are also expected to be in the mix. Both teams were rumored to be interested in acquiring Hopkins around the NFL draft, but the cost of doing so was prohibitive.
A three-time All-Pro who will turn 31 on June 6, Hopkins recorded 221 receptions for 2,696 yards and 17 touchdowns in his three seasons in Arizona.
Hopkins had 64 catches for 717 yards with three touchdowns during a 2022 season in which he missed the first six games while serving a suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. He sat out the final two games with a knee injury.
The Bills have a strong tandem in Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, but very little proven depth behind them. They drafted Justin Shorter in the fifth round and the depth chart currently includes the likes of Deonte Harty, Trent Sherfield and Khalil Shakir.
The Chiefs likewise could prove a good fit for Hopkins. They do have Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore, but last year’s leading wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster signed with the Patriots after catching 78 passes for 933 yards in 2023.
DeAndre Hopkins Next Team Odds
Buffalo Bills (+200)
Kansas City Chiefs (+400)
Dallas Cowboys (+500)
New England Patriots (+700)
Baltimore Ravens (+800)
Carolina Panthers (+800)
New York Giants (+900)
Philadelphia Eagles (+900)
Detroit Lions (+1000)
Chicago Bears (+1200)
New York Jets (+1400)
Cleveland Browns (+2000)
Los Angeles Chargers (+2200)
Jacksonville Jaguars (+2500)
Las Vegas Raiders (+2500)
Green Bay Packers (+3300)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3300)
–Field Level Media
