Getty San Francisco 49ers defensive end Charles Omenihu.
With JuJu Smith-Schuster officially out of town, there’s been debate as to whether the Kansas City Chiefs will add another veteran receiver in some way this offseason. But new Chiefs defensive end Charles Omenihu has decided to take matters into his own hands by calling out one of Kansas City’s speculated additions.
“@DeAndreHopkins come on fam we waiting on you!” Omenihu wrote on Twitter on March 20.
@DeAndreHopkins come on fam we waiting on you ! #ChiefsKigndom
Omenihu’s tweet towards Arizona Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who played with Omenihu during their time with the Houston Texans in 2019, came just a few hours after Mike Jurecki of the Arizona Football Daily podcast shared what he’s heard regarding the Chiefs’ desire to add another pass catcher.
“Around the NFL circles the Chiefs would like to add a wide receiver whether it’s Hopkins or OBJ (Odell Beckham Jr.),” Jurecki wrote. “Patrick Mahomes restructured his contract so they’re about 10 million under the cap.”
Around the NFL circles the Chiefs would like to add a wide receiver whether it’s Hopkins or OBJ.
Patrick Mahomes restructured his contract so they’re about 10 million under the cap.
A day prior to Jurecki and Omenihu’s tweets, former NFL receiver Dez Bryant, who is friends with Hopkins and Beckham, added fuel to the fire as well.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Odell or D hop go to the chiefs… I wouldn’t be surprised if both guys go to the chiefs,” he wrote.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Odell or D hop go to the chiefs… I wouldn’t be surprised if both guys go to the chiefs
DeAndre Hopkins a Cap Casualty for Cardinals
DeAndre Hopkins was the 27th overall pick by the Texans in 2013. Since then he has six 1,000-yard seasons, 853 receptions, 71 receiving touchdowns, and has been named an All-Pro three times and a Pro Bowler five times, per Pro Football Reference.
In March 2020, the Cardinals traded running back David Johnson, a second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick to the Texans in exchange for Hopkins and a fourth-round pick. Then in September of that year, Arizona gave Hopkins a two-year extension that included a $27 million signing bonus and $60 million in guarantees, per Spotrac.
As it stands, Hopkins ranks 36th all-time in career receiving yards (11,298) and is 3,047 yards away from cracking the top 10 all-time on that list (Reggie Wayne is 10th all-time with 14,345), according to Pro Football Reference.
The Cardinals plan to trade Hopkins this offseason, according to a January report by The Score’s Jordan Schultz. Hopkins has two years and $54 million left on his contract, and will have a $30.7 million cap hit in 2023 along with a $25.4 million cap hit in 2024, equaling $54 million over the next two seasons. Per NBC Sports Boston, he also has a full no-trade clause in his contract, which means he has control over where he’s potentially traded to.
On top of that, Hopkins is willing to be flexible on the final two years of his contract if he were to be traded instead of aiming for a top-of-the-market deal, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport on March 8. That’s precisely why the Chiefs, who have roughly $9.5 million in cap space according to Over The Cap, have been consistently linked to Hopkins since the start of the offseason.
Twitter Reacts to Charles Omenihu’s Tweet
Twitter users reacted to Charles Omenihu’s attempt to recruit DeAndre Hopkins.
“Guess we can’t underestimate the bonding possible during the Texans’ disastrous 2019 season when they overlapped in Houston,” Jared Sapp of Arrowhead Pride wrote.
“Dudes only been on the Chiefs for a couple of days and he knows what’s upppppp,” one Twitter user wrote.
“Lol Mahomes is begging for a WR1 at this point,” another user wrote. “Brett Veach needs to get the job done. If Mahomes wants him, get him!!”