Getty Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in 2021.
For most of the offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs have been connected to superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins via trade.
Today on March 23, two new reports implied that this is no longer the case. NFL reporter Aaron Wilson was the first to break this news, tweeting: “[Arizona] Cardinals DeAndre Hopkins’ trade market headlined by [Buffalo] Bills, per NFL sources. Five-time Pro Bowl selection has plenty of interest on trade market, but financial expectations might impact any further interest from Chiefs. [Baltimore] Ravens not among bidders, per sources.”
#Cardinals DeAndre Hopkins’ trade market headlined by #Bills, per NFL sources. Five-time Pro Bowl selection has plenty of interest on trade market, but financial expectations might impact any further interest from #Chiefs #Ravens not among bidders, per sources.
Not long after, on “The Pat McAfee Show,” ex-NFL cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones claimed that there are five teams that have been involved in trade conversations with Hopkins (via Heavy on Chiefs reporter Devon Clements). Those franchises were the Atlanta Falcons, Ravens, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots and Bills.”
Clements added that “[Jones] did not mention the Chiefs.”
Chiefs Fans Question Conflicting Reports on a DeAndre Hopkins Trade
First off, these reports conflicted a bit. Wilson specifically said that the Ravens were not among the bidders, while Jones told viewers that they were. Where they agreed, however, was the Chiefs part in these rumors.
Wilson alluded that Kansas City was no longer interested because of “financial expectations,” while Jones didn’t mention them altogether. Needless to say, most KC supporters either questioned or doubted these updates.
“Bills are ~$10M over the cap currently. How does that make sense?” One Chiefs fan commented under Wilson’s tweet. On the same post, another fan ignored Wilson, voicing: “He’s going to kc, its most likely going to be a couple of players with caps that we don’t need and they might want and picks for him.”
The Kingdom was even less kind to Pacman Jones.
“Packman is a bonafide Chiefs hater…we have plenty of receipts,” one wrote. Another replied sarcastically: “Is he an agent? An insider? Please!!”
“The Falcons being in on Hopkins is hilarious,” a third responded. “What’s the plan there, to not throw to him like they already do with [Drake] London and [Kyle] Pitts?”
For what it’s worth, popular KC diehard “Chiefs Insider” was the major contrarian among the fans on Wilson’s tweet, admitting: “Sounding less likely D Hop is coming to the Chiefs and I suspect the same for OBJ [Odell Beckham] at this stage. If either of the WRs is asking for [2022] money, and not adhering to the [2023] position values, then risk versus reward and available cap space will decide their new teams.”
After his remark, Chiefs Insider appeared to spark a separate discussion that was less optimistic about a Hopkins trade occurring.
One fan chimed in that “DHop was never a realistic option based on his ask. Veach isn’t signing a 31 year old WR to an extension that added two more years to his deal.”
Another agreed, echoing: “Not going to overpay, that’s apparent. Young guys have to step up.”
DeAndre Hopkins Trade Could Impact Chiefs — With or Without KC Being Involved
If you believe that the names on Jones’ list are the teams that Wilson is referring to when he says there is “plenty of interest” headlined by the Bills, it could mean trouble for the Chiefs.
Buffalo has obviously become an AFC rival in recent years with Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs leading an already-potent offense. The Raiders are inside the division, with Davante Adams and a new quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo. Even the Pats and Ravens are in the same conference, and could theoretically battle KC in the postseason or a potential playoff hunt before that.
If the Chiefs are truly out on Hopkins, the best landing spot out of these teams would actually be Atlanta — being that the impact would likely be slim to none.
Don’t get me wrong, KC shouldn’t bid on Hopkins just to prevent him from going somewhere else — that’s not a smart way to run a franchise — but the fallout of this entire trade situation could be interesting either way.
Will general manager Brett Veach get involved in the 11th hour? Or have the Chiefs already moved on to other options at wide receiver? Will Hopkins turn from potential friend to fearsome foe? Or is he destined to remain in the NFC?
We should find out some answers on Hopkins soon enough.