DeAndre Hopkins trade rumors: Bills ‘headline’ market for WR; Chiefs, Patriots, Ravens out on veteran

DeAndre Hopkins’ future remains in the balance as the Cardinals rebuild under the new brain trust of coach Jonathan Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort.

However, it looks like Arizona plans to sell the Veteran Wideout to a team that needs receivers.

And one could emerge as a potential favorite to sign the 31-year-old.

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Those would be the Bills “overriding” the Hopkins trade market, per KPRC 2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson.

The Bills would be a reasonable landing spot for Hopkins. Buffalo went into the 2022 NFL season hoping that Gabe Davis would emerge as the No. 1 receiver. Instead, Davis struggled to play consistently, and Stefon Diggs had a lot to do on the Bills’ offense.

Hopkins shouldn’t have the same problem. Sure, he’s crossed the 30-year threshold, but he’s still averaging 95 catches for 1,153 yards and 10 touchdowns per 17 games played over his last two seasons.

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However, Hopkins’ durability is a small issue. He made just 19 combined games in 2021 and 2022 combined, so the Bills would take a chance to acquire the veteran.

Still, it might be worth it for Buffalo. The team needs more depth and talent at the receiver, and Hopkins would provide that.

Despite this, Wilson reports that Hopkins has “received a great deal of interest in his work [the] Trade Market” so the Bills will have competition to acquire it.

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However, it’s also true that Hopkins’ bloated contract — worth $54.5 million over two years — could complicate any potential trade. Wilson noted that the Chiefs and Ravens are not among the bidders for this reason; Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reports that the Patriots are sidelined against Hopkins because of the combination of his contract and the property cost to acquire him.

So maybe the Bills don’t have as much competition as one would think to land Hopkins. Even so, teams may not be willing to give up the kind of draft-pick compensation the Cardinals are seeking as part of a deal.

That could put any Hopkins deal on hold. But with the receiver market thinning after Brandin Cooks and Elijah Moore’s trades, there could be a team desperate enough to give up a valuable asset in exchange for Hopkins. It could be worth it if the veteran regains his All-Pro form in 2023.