DeAndre Hopkins Next Team Odds; Bills and Chiefs Among Favored Teams

• DeAndre Hopkins was released by the Cardinals on Friday freeing him up to sign with any team in the league
• Buffalo has the shortest odds to sign the three-time All-Pro, but have very little cap room to do so
• Check out the latest odds of who’s most likely to sign Hopkins below, plus analysis and a prediction

The Cardinals are in complete tear-down mode, so the news of DeAndre Hopkins’ release comes as no surprise. The 30-year-old was due to have the highest cap hit of any wide receiver in the league, and likely wanted no part of a team projected to finish with the fewest wins in the league.

Hopkins is now free to sign with any team he likes, and a pair of AFC heavyweights are his most likely destination according to online sportsbooks.

DeAndre Hopkins – Next Team Odds

The Bills boast the shortest odds to sign DeAndre Hopkins, followed by the reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs. Hopkins would be a great fit for either organization, but fitting him in under the cap is going to be a major challenge.

Odell Beckham recently signed a $15 million contract with the Ravens in free agency, and given how much healthier and more productive Hopkins has been, you’d have to think his next deal is going to come in north of that number.

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Odds as of May 26th at Caesars Sportsbook.

Top of the Board

Hopkins could be the missing piece that helps Buffalo finally get over the championship hump. The Bills struggled to find production at the wide receiver position outside of Stefon Diggs last season, as Gabe Davis simply couldn’t live up to lofty expectations.

Hopkins is on record saying that he’d love to catch passes from Josh Allen, and while Buffalo did take tight end Dalton Kincaid in the first round last month, their lone wide receiver selection was a fifth-round project out of Florida.

On a recent appearance on the “I Am Athlete” podcast, free-agent WR DeAndre Hopkins listed the five QBs he’d most like to catch passes from: the Bills’ Josh Allen, the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts, the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and the Chargers’ Justin Herbert.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 26, 2023

A Diggs-Hopkins pairing would give opposing cornerbacks nightmares. Hopkins was the fifth most heavily used wide receiver last season, accounting for over 34% of Arizona’s receiving yards. He’s a six-time 1,000-yard receiver, with 71 career touchdowns, but as mentioned he’s not going to come cheap.

Buffalo has just $2.4 million in cap space, and Hopkins is likely seeking around $20 million per year. A number that high is likely going to prohibit the Bills from acquiring the three-time All-Pro, as there’s little chance they can get creative enough to free up that much cash.

The Chiefs are in a similar boat with only $1.6 million in cap space. There’s also less urgency in Kansas City, as Patrick Mahomes just led them to a Super Bowl throwing to a cast of far less talented receivers.

KC seems content to give Kadarius Toney a shot at being the number one there, while the team has spent second-round draft capital in back-to-back years on the receiver position. It’s also easier not to prioritize the wide receiver position if you’re the Chiefs since Mahomes still has the luxury of throwing to the greatest tight end of all time in Travis Kelce.

Longshot Contenders

The Jets are all-in this season, so don’t rule them out pursuing Hopkins. New York made the biggest splash of the offseason by acquiring Aaron Rodgers, and still have roughly $7 million in cap space. They can open up a lot more room by reworking or cutting some of their high-priced veterans like Corey Davis and CJ Mosley, and replacing Davis with Hopkins would make Rodgers feel like a kid in the candy store.

A Jets pass-catching nucleus of Garrett Wilson, Hopkins, Allen Lazard, and Mecole Hardman checks all the boxes, and we shouldn’t rule it out. New York’s Super Bowl window is minuscule and owner Woody Johnson is desperate for a Lombardi Trophy.

Speaking of desperate owners, don’t sleep on Hopkins signing with Jerry Jones’ Cowboys. They have even more cap space available than the Jets, and the clock is ticking on the Mike McCarthy-Dak Prescott era.

Dallas did add speedster Brandin Cooks in the offseason to compliment CeeDee Lamb, but they’re still missing a true X receiver. Lamb does his best work in the slot, and Hopkins can win versus almost anyone on the outside.

This is what #Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins is looking for on his next team:

* QB that loves the game and brings everyone on board with him

* Great defense – "Defense wins championships. Gotta have a great D-Line"

* Stable management – Because he says he's been through 4 GMs in… pic.twitter.com/PFoj2efyrN

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) May 26, 2023

Dallas has a top-five defense, and while Prescott didn’t make the short list of QBs Hopkins would love to play with, he’s still an upper-tier quarterback. The NFC is wide open this season, and if Hopkins is looking for the best possible scenario where he can get paid and also have a chance to make a Super Bowl run, the Cowboys have to be near the top of the list. At +2500, they represent better value than anyone else to sign Hopkins.

Pick: Dallas Cowboys (+2500)