Getty Bills star Stefon Diggs' (L) and former Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins' (R).
While Buffalo Bills star Stefon Diggs has opted out of this year’s voluntary workout program, the wide receiver is helping fuel rumors regarding the possibility of Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins landing in Orchard Park.
The franchise needs to find a solid WR2 to back up Diggs and Hopkins, who would be a near-perfect fit, has dropped several hints that he’d love to be traded to Buffalo. Last month, Hopkins shared a photo of himself on his Instagram Stories with Bob Marley’s “Buffalo Soldier” playing in the background and during an April 16 appearance on of CBS Sports “All Things Covered Podcast,” his body language did the talking when asked about possibly joining the Bills.
On Thursday, April 20, Hopkins shared a video on Instagram that showed him walking the runway in a fashion show at the Hollywood Bowl. He captioned the post, “History in the making… @fearofgod @jerrylorenzo @adidas #fearofgod,” which caught Diggs’ attention.
Diggs simply wrote, “🤝🏾🤝🏾🤝🏾,” to which Hopkins wrote back, “@stefondiggs 🤝🏾🤝🏾.”
While Diggs, who’s become the offseason king of cryptic posts, could merely be connecting with Hopkins over their shared love of fashion, as the Bills star has hit several high-profile designer events over the past few months, the mutual “handshake” comments definitely raised some eyebrows, especially after USA Today’s Bradley Gelber shared a screenshot of the interaction on Twitter.
One fan commented on the Instagram post, “@stefondiggs please make this happen! Best WR Duo ever! #BillsMafia,” while another person wrote, “@deandrehopkins you ARE a bill.”
Von Miller Said He Would ‘Love’ the Bills to Acquire DeAndre Hopkins
“Word on the street is that we might be getting another BIG TIME weapon” 👀👀
While Diggs’ comment is open to interpretation, Bills edge rusher Von Miller made it clear that he’d love to see Hopkins land in Buffalo while addressing the media on April 18.
Instead of attending the Cardinals’ voluntary workout program, Hopkins has been doing his own conditioning at a different gym, but it was unclear which facility he was working out in. Miller, who’s spent the offseason rehabbing from ACL surgery, revealed that the five-time Pro Bowler has been working out with him in Dallas, Texas, and the two have been chatting it up.
“Hop says he wants to be a Buffalo Bill,” Miller said, per SI. “I would love to see DeAndre Hopkins be here and I would love to have his skill set on our offense with Josh Allen Stefon Diggs and Dawson Knox and Gabe Davis. How could we lose with those guys?”
The eight-time Pro Bowler seemed to have learned his lesson when it comes to over-hyping a player’s seemingly imminent move to Buffalo after the Odell Beckham Jr. situation. “You just never know until you get that DeAndre Hopkins signature on the contract,” Miller noted.
However, just one day later, during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Miller dropped another hint that Hopkins to Buffalo may be in the pipeline. “Word on the street is that we might be getting another big-time weapon,” Miller said. “We missed out on OBJ, it’s another big weapon out there if you get him.”
Cardinals GM Remains Tight-Lipped When It Comes to Trading DeAndre Hopkins
GM Monti Ossenfort comments on the ongoing situation surrounding DeAndre Hopkins.
While the cost to land Hopkins in a trade won’t cost too much, managing the $19.45 million he’s owed for the 2023 NFL season, and the $14.92 million he’s due in 2024, would be an issue not just for Buffalo, but any interested team, which means Arizona may have to pick up part of the tab in order to facilitate his exit.
However, the Cardinals’ general manager Monti Ossenfort is trying to keep the Hopkins situation internal, especially after All-Pro safety Budda Baker requested a trade out of Arizona. Ossenfort told reporters of Hopkins, “It’s similar to the Budda conversations. I’ve dad a lot of interaction with Hop. He’s been great. Good discussions back and forth. As it pertains to his situation, I’m going to keep those discussions between us, as well. Hop’s proven to be a good player in this league, and he’s obviously a very talented player.”
While Bills general manager Brandon Beane attempted to cool the trade rumors linking the team to Hopkins, because the market for Hopkins has since gone “ice cold,” Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay believes Buffalo could land the former first-round pick from the 2013 NFL draft for “pennies on the dollar.”
FILTHY ONE-HANDED TD GRAB.
DeAndre Hopkins is all the way back 🤫
Kay suggests the Bills can acquire Hopkins from the Cardinals in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick (No 91. overall), a far cry from the “Christian McCaffery package” Arizona was asking for last month, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, a price that was universally panned by analysts.
“The Bills should try to turn the No. 91 overall pick into a three-time All-Pro wideout who could take their high-powered offense to another level. If Hopkins returns to form, this move could help finally bring a Super Bowl to Buffalo,” Kay wrote.