- The Arizona Cardinals are the +195 favorites to keep WR DeAndre Hopkins.
- The New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, and Chicago Bears are the top non-Arizona destination for Hopkins.
- Hopkins led the Cardinals with 717 receiving yards last season despite missing 6 games due to suspension.
The Arizona Cardinals are favored to keep wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins despite numerous teams lining up to discuss a potential trade. Per the online sportsbook Bovada, Hopkins is a +195 favorite to play for the Cardinals in Week 1 of the 2023 season.
Hopkins has been a hot topic on the NFL rumor mill and has been linked to several trade rumors. Recently, Hopkins hired an agent with the hopes that he will get the talented receiver what he wants. However, DeAndre has not disclosed what he specifically wants.
Hopkins is coming off a season where he still led the Cardinals in receiving with 717 yards despite missing a total of six games. He also ranked second in catches (64), touchdowns (3), and plays of 20+ yards (8).
Arizona acquired Hopkins in a 2020 deal with the Houston Texans. The 30-year-old was the 27th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. He is a three-time first-team All-Pro selection, two-time second-team All-Pro pick, and five-time Pro Bowl selection and led the NFL in receiving touchdowns in 2017.
The former Clemson Tiger recorded 853 receptions for 11,298 yards and 71 touchdowns during his first nine NFL seasons.
#AZCardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins, on the @PatMcAfeeShow:
"I've been hearing a lot of trade talks … but I don't look to the future."
Says he's an Arizona Cardinal right now. Sees all the rumors, but said he doesn't want to start any himself.
— Darren Urban (@Cardschatter) March 8, 2023
DeAndre Hopkins to the Patriots?
The New England Patriots have the second-best odds to be Hopkins’ team when the 2023 season opens. New England’s odds of +350 at Bovada are the shortest for a non-Cardinals team, which makes them the favorites to poach Hopkins away from Arizona.
According to NFL Insider Jeff Howe of The Athletic, the Patriots have rung up the Cardinals to inquire about Hopkins’ availability. New England is in dire need of pass-catching talents after losing last season’s top receiver Jakobi Meyers to the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency.
Hopkins has been a popular rumored target for the Patriots because of Bill Belichick’s admiration for the Cardinals WR. Leading up to the Patriots’ Week 14 matchup against Arizona this past season, Belichick said Hopkins is “every bit as good as anybody I’ve ever coached against.”.
Then there is also Hopkins’ link to recently hired offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien who shared time with DeAndre in Houston with the Texans.
The same report, however, also said that New England touched base with the Denver Broncos and inquired about Jerry Jeudy. The team also sent representatives to attend Odell Beckham Jr’s workout earlier this month.
#Chiefs are interested in acquiring star receivers #Cardinals DeAndre Hopkins and free-agent Odell Beckham, according to @AlbertBreer
Chiefs currently have about $10 million in cap space.https://t.co/QOgYOnqVNf pic.twitter.com/Vt6OBfmwCd
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 22, 2023
Are the Chiefs Really Interested in Hopkins?
Next on the Bovada betting board are the defending Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs at +450 odds. Kansas City traded star wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Heat before the start of the 2022 season but despite that, Kansas City was able to overcome that loss by winning Super Bowl LVII.
This offseason, the Chiefs lost another wide receiver in JuJu Smith-Schuster who bolted Kansas City and went to New England. Smith-Schuster ranked second behind Travis Kelce in receiving yards with 933 yards last season and was Patrick Mahomes’ second-favorite pass catcher.
New free agent signee DE Charles Omenihu also recently took to Twitter to recruit Hopkins, whom he played with in 2019 when both of them were still with the Houston Texans.
Currently, the Chiefs don’t have enough cap space to sign Hopkins. Kansas City has $9.5 million in available salaries before signing Drue Tranquill and Mike Edwards. But even if the figure stood at $9.5 million, it’s not going to be enough to absorb Hopkins’ $19.45 million cap hit.
To make a trade happen, the Chiefs would either have to do some salary-cap cleaning moves or work with Hopkins to lower his number. That could mean an extension with an extra year and funny money attached. Or the Chiefs could offer Arizona more compensation to offset Hopkins’ salary.
Bears Have Long Been Linked to Hopkins
The Chicago Bears have been linked to Deandre Hopkins since last year so it’s no surprise as to why they have the 4th best odds to land the five-time Pro Bowler.
Chicago lacks talent at nearly every position except quarterback and their receiving corps ranked last in the league in receptions and receiving yards last season while being tied for 30th in touchdown catches.
Chicago GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus were thrilled to see quarterback Justin Fields make a significant leap last season. But they know that if Fields is to take them to the land of promise, they have to supply him with the weapon needed to make a playoff run. Starting at wide receiver would be a good idea.
The wide receiver position isn’t one that’s completely missing in Chicago. Darnell Mooney is part of their rebuild and has developed good chemistry with Fields.
Meanwhile, the Bears hope that a full offseason will allow Chase Claypool to develop. But, as of now, their top receiver will be D.J. Moore who they acquired in a trade with the Carolina Panthers.
Adding Hopkins to this receiving group would instantly make the Bears’ offense a formidable one in the NFC North division.
Other Teams Linked to Hopkins
The Baltimore Ravens are next in the Bovada odds board at +650 odds. While the national attention has been on Lamar Jackson’s non-exclusive franchise tag and his ability to negotiate with other teams, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said after the season that the “one area that needs to be built is the wide receiver room”.
Green Bay is next on the odds board at +750. The Packers lost Allen Lazard to the Jets and are believed to be working on a trade that would send QB Aaron Rodgers to New York.
They also have a young and talented pair of second-year receivers in Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson. The Packers also have limited cap space and Hopkins is one of the highest-paid players in the position.
The Giants are next at +850 odds as one of the takeaways of the 2022 campaign was New York’s need for serious help at the wide receiver position. Kenny Golladay had another disappointing season while Kadarius Toney ended up getting traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. Meanwhile, Hopkins would provide the Giants with the game-changing player that they lack.
The Atlanta Falcons at +1100 makes sense because they need that position, have more than enough cap space, and have the draft capital to make the deal happen. Hopkins would also give first-year starter Desmond Ridder everything you could ask for to succeed.
The Dallas Cowboys complete the Bovada odds board at +1500 but the team already added a marquee receiver in Brandin Cooks.
Surprisingly, the Buffalo Bills are not listed on Bovada’s prop bet despite recent reports that the Bills are interested in DeAndre Hopkins and that the talented receiver dropped hints on social media about Buffalo.
