Getty DeAndre Hopkins remains a free agent after his visit to New England.
The Buffalo Bills were once seen as a frontrunner to land All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, and were one of only two teams to hold substantive talks with the Arizona Cardinals on a trade for him.
But the market for the receiver surged after he was released by the Cardinals, and the Bills fell short in the end. ESPN’s Dianna Russini reported on July 16 that Hopkins agreed to terms on a deal with the Tennessee Titans.
“The deal is expected to be completed over the next few days,” she reported. “The Titans are giving him 2 year deal. For year 1, it’s a base of $12M with incentives to get to $15M, per source.”
The contract may have been too rich for the Bills, who went into the offseason tight against the salary cap and avoided any big free-agency moves — though did try hard to land Hopkins.
Bills Pursued DeAndre Hopkins
The Bills were initially seen as a betting favorite to sign Hopkins, and did try to target the wide receiver while he was still on the trade block. The NFL Network’s Albert Breer tweeted on May 27 that the Bills and Kansas City Chiefs were the only two teams to hold “substantive” talks with the Cardinals.
It appeared to be more than a passing interest. The Athletic’s Tim Graham reported that Bills general manager Brandon Beane was heavily involved, speaking to Hopkins directly.
BREAKING: Titans signing WR DeAndre Hopkins to a 2-year, $26M deal worth up to $32M with incentives. (via @rapsheet)
“The Bills have been interested in Hopkins and closely monitoring his status the past six weeks,” Graham reported on June 1. “Hopkins recently hired agent Kelton Crenshaw, but before that was representing himself — with the help of uncertified agent Saint Omni — in trade talks the Cardinals permitted Hopkins to explore. The Athletic has confirmed Bills general manager Brandon Beane spoke with Hopkins directly.”
But the Bills were always seen as a darkhorse given their salary cap situation. As Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News noted earlier in May, the expected contract for Hopkins likely kept the Bills out of the race — unless he decided to take significantly less in order to join a contender.
“The financial hurdle, in my mind, is unsurmountable,” he wrote. “Hopkins simply costs too much money, and the Bills would have to perform some serious salary cap gymnastics to make his current deal work.”
Signing Could Be Good for Buffalo
While the Bills may have fallen well short of landing Hopkins, his signing in Tennessee could still be a net positive for their Super Bowl hopes. He had been connected to a pair of rivals, having visited the New England Patriots and dropped hints that he was also considering the Chiefs.
As SI.com’s Harrison Reno noted, Hopkins recently interacted with Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones on Instagram and sparked rumors that he could be moving to Kansas City. As a result, the Chiefs saw a surge in betting odds to land Hopkins, he added.
“This seemingly casual interaction has seen the Chiefs’ odds on DraftKings dramatically move from +800 to +175,” Reno wrote. “The Tennessee Titans remain the favorites at -120, while the Patriots have now fallen to third at +250.”
While the Bills may have wanted to bring Hopkins to Buffalo, keeping him out of Kansas City could be the next best result.